Welcome Home
by Princess Dystopia
Summary: For ten years, Blank has looked out for me, even when he knows he's risking his life. With him in danger this time, it's my turn to help. BlankxOC
1. Trust

"Ow! Okay, I'm _fine._ Stop, damn it!"

"You're still bleeding! You're not fine!"

"It's just a cut!"

"Blank and Sori, quit arguing' and get ready!" Baku bellowed at us, tossing a crumpled up piece of paper at Blank's head. With him distracted, I finished tying the cloth around his arm, covering the cut that our boss had given him just a few minutes earlier.

The Prima Vista shifted violently, a random action I should have been used to by now, and pushed me off my feet and onto my backside. I hit the hard wooden floor and let out a yelping noise. Once the ship stopped rocking, Blank laughed at my injury and held out his hand.

"You need medical help more than I do," he commented, pulling my back onto my feet.

"Shut up, stupid."

With a smirk still planted on his face, he patted my head, intentionally making my hair a mess, and walked off to run through his lines once more before performing them. Blank had a photographic memory, I swear. I don't even know why he was so persistent on reading his lines over and over.

"You remember what your job is, right?" Baku asked me for the hundredth time. I sighed, pulling my long brown hair back into a bun.

"Yes," I answered. "Make myself look like a noble, sit front-row in the audience, and jump if anyone tries to interfere. I know, I know."

"Good." And with that, he returned to the book in his hand: _I Want To Be Your Canary_ by Lord Avon.

I glanced out the circular window to my side, watching in amazement as the kingdom of Alexandria slid underneath the ship. There were so many people walking around. There weren't nearly as many people in Lindblum.

"Go get your make-up on, Sori," Baku ordered without lifting his nose from the book.

"Yes, sir."

I ran up the tiny flight of stairs and headed for the bedroom. Just as I reached the door, it opened and my face slammed into Marcus' chest. I could instantly feel the animosity rise up in my body.

Marcus was my least favorite person in the entire world. It was his fault that I almost didn't get accepted into Tantalus when I was seven. Although, that was about eight and a half years ago. Marcus had changed a lot; he wasn't the selfish teacher's pet (or in our case, Baku's pet) that he had once been. I still didn't like him, though.

"Sori," Marcus greeted, flashing a friendly smile.

"Marcus," I replied, stone-faced. "Break a leg out there."

"Thanks."

He walked past me and I rolled my eyes. "_Please_ break a leg. Or both," I whispered, pushing the bedroom door back open.

My gaze moved over to the two beds in the corner. Blank was lying on one of them, his headband that normally covered his eyes gripped tightly in a limped-over hand, dangling off the side of the bed. His eyes were shut tight and his lips moved silently. I watched them, listening to his voice in my head.

"We shall back thee, kinsman!" it said. I practically had this play memorized even though I wasn't a part of the cast. The Tantalus boys had gone through it so many times, I doubt I could ever forget the lines.

Knowing better than to disturb him when he was in his actor-state, I sat in front of the mirror and grabbed for my make-up. Before I could apply ten pounds of it onto my face, I heard rustling from the other side of the room. I shifted to the side to look at Blank through the mirror.

He was sitting up, looking at me with those bright cerulean eyes that I wish I had. "Remember to put a whole lot of color on your lips," he said, making a kissing face at me.

"You wanna come and do this for me?" I asked, holding the lipstick out toward his reflection in the mirror.

"Hell no. Not unless you want to look like Cinna."

"Definitely not."

I gripped onto the side of the desk tightly as the ship stopped. Blank stood up straight and stretched his arms over his head, then brought them back down to tie the headband back around his eyes. I hurried with my make-up and stood up to face him.

"Good luck," I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck and touching my nose to his chin. He exhaled slowly through his nose snaked his arms around my waist.

"Thanks."

I backed away slightly and tilted my head a little more to look up at his face. "Hey, don't be nervous. You'll do great. You always do."

He grinned and lifted his hand to tousle my hair again, but I assumed the neat bun stopped him. "Who said I was nervous?"

"I just know you well, Blank."

"Unfortunately," he teased and let go of me. "Remember, only jump in if I do the hand sign."

(!)(!)(!)

I waited in the front-row of the audience, listening to their chatter about how wealthy they were or how educated their children were. It made me want to either puke or steal all their gil.

Suddenly, the street lights shut off and the lights on the stage of the ship turned on. Baku walked out and bowed to us. "Ladies and gentleman!" he shouted, his arms opened wide. "Tonight's performance is one that takes place long, long ago…"

Nervous butterflies fluttered in my gut. I bounced my left leg quickly and strummed my fingers on my knee. Noticing that my back was somewhat hunched, I hurriedly sat up straight, trying to look as proper as possible. I didn't want to be the one to give away our entire mission.

"And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords," Baku yelled, his eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment, "and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents _I Want To Be Your Canary!"_

The lights shut off for a moment, and three voices echoed around us. It took everything in me to not speak along as Blank, Cinna, and Zidane recited their lines. I rubbed my arms, trying to rid myself of the goose bumps, as the lights returned and the trio ran onstage to face Marcus, Baku (King Leo) and his two henchmen.

"My word," the woman next to me mumbled. Her eyes were fixed on Blank and a crimson blush spread about her face. For a fleeting moment, I considered "accidentally" stomping on her foot.

"Agh!" Cinna cried out. My attention was brought back to the actors just in time to watch Zidane slash at Baku with one of his daggers. One of the henchmen was pulling the other, who was "dead," to safety.

"Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" Baku shouted and headed for the stairs that led to the balcony. I shifted my weight in anticipation. This next part was my absolute favorite.

My eyes followed Blank as he blocked Zidane from getting to Baku. He jumped back as Zidane swung at him. "Out of the way, Blank!"

"Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!"

I couldn't help but smile a little. During the times when they were just learning their lines, Blank would intentionally mess that part up. I laughed every time because it was always something different. That's one of the things I loved about him.

The two were now right in front of me, their swords pointed at each other. The expression on Blank's face was one that I'd only seen once before. As I pondered on that memory, I swore the scar on my leg felt as if it was bleeding again, as it did that terrible night.

"En garde!"

"Expect no quarter from me!"

I flinched at almost every "clang" sound of the swords slamming against each other. They growled and grunted at each other, and if I didn't know any better, I would've thought they were truly trying to kill one another.

I suppose I wore a horrified expression on my face, because Blank snuck a quick glimpse at me. His murderous persona faulted and he fell onto his butt. He and I gasped at the same time. Thinking quickly, he groaned and grabbed onto the bandage that I'd placed on his arm before, which was now somewhat stained with his blood.

"Good improvising," I muttered under my breath.

He jumped back onto his feet and swung once more at Zidane before yelling, "We shall finish this later!" and running offstage.

"Come back here!" Zidane called after, following him off.

I exhaled slowly and allowed myself to relax in my seat. _Now,_ I thought, _I get to enjoy some of this play. At least for a little while, anyway._

(!)(!)(!)

"So bored. So…bored," I whispered to myself. I realized that once you see a play being rehearsed a hundred times, and then watch the actual thing, you are bored beyond belief.

"Quiet yourself, young lady," the woman next to me ordered. "King Leo is about to announce Marcus' execution."

"If only," I muttered, slouching over in the chair. I brought my gaze back to Marcus, who had been captured and restrained by the surviving henchman from before and a replacement.

Baku faced Marcus, puffing out his chest. "…When yon bell strikes three, under the axe thou shall be!"

The crowed stirred uncomfortably as the sound of church bells sounded. At the first strike, women started mumbling about how they couldn't kill an actor onstage. At the second, the woman next to me started to cry. Then, people emerged from underneath the stage.

"What the hell?" I whispered, locking looks with Zidane, who had risen up with a hooded girl. On the second trap-platform, a man dressed in heavy armor entered the same way.

He looked out toward the audience with a confused expression. "Ho? What is all this?"

Baku turned toward Zidane and gave him a look we all knew too well. Marcus caught on and broke free from the two henchmen, opening his arms to the girl.

"Cornelia!" he cried out.

_So, that hooded girl is Ruby,_ I thought.

"Oh, Marcus!" she replied, falling into his arms. My stomach twisted up in unease. That girl didn't have Ruby's heavy accent. That _wasn't_ Ruby.

"Now, who is that actor supposed to portray?" the woman next to me asked, still wiping her eyes. She was looking at the knight who came up after Zidane and his guest.

I looked around apprehensively for Blank. I wanted that hand sign to jump onstage and find my way back into the ship so we could leave. I just hoped Princess Garnet was tied up somewhere inside.

Blank was nowhere to be found and that worried me. Intensely.

"For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia!" Marcus fiercely yelled when I came back to the play. He was drawing his sword toward Baku. "I shall cut thee down!"

As he thrust the sword forward, the hooded girl ran in front of Baku, lifting her upstage arm slightly to allow the sword to pass through her, giving the illusion that she had been stabbed. She groaned loudly in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"No! Cornelia!"

Next to me, the woman burst into loud, howling wails. She rummaged around her handbag for a moment, and then pulled out a handful of already-used tissues. I couldn't help but make a disgusted face at her.

"What have I done! Am I never to hear her loving voice again! Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch! O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!" Marcus shouted to the sky, forced tears streaming down his face. He lifted his sword and "stabbed" himself, then fell on the ground next to Cornelia.

"NOOOO!" the woman screamed, burying her face in the snotty tissues.

I bit down on my lower lip, trying to hold back tears. No matter how many times I watched them rehearse this part, I always cried.

I almost heard Baku's voice in my head. "Stop bein' a baby, girl! People die all the time! Suck it up!"

"Princess!" the knight cried, falling to his knees. He was a really talented actor.

"Leave me alone!" a childish voice screamed. I turned my head to the side to see a small Black Mage run onstage, followed by two Alexandrian knights.

"Oh, crap."

The mage circled around Baku and Zidane, then hopped over Cornelia's body. The two knights remained on the other side of her.

"Don't come any closer!" the mage warned, holding out his hands toward the two. Flames surrounded his palms and grew until he shot them out. Instead of hitting the knights, the flames landed on Cornelia's robe.

"Ow! Ow! Hot!" she screamed, jumping to her feet. She pulled the robe off and hurled it toward the audience, who hurried to move away from it. My mouth fell open as I looked up at Princess Garnet, who had taken Ruby's role.

"Sori!" Baku growled at me. "It's time!"

I stood up with shaking legs. "But Blank was supposed to give the han-"

"GET UP HERE AND GET IN THE SHIP!"

"Yes, sir!"

I put a leg onstage to lift myself up, but the woman who had been sitting next to me the whole time grabbed my arm. "Kidnappers!" she cried out. "Hurry! Guards! Get her!"

The two knights that had chased the mage onstage looked at me. I struggled to get myself free from the woman's grip, but I couldn't. So, I closed my eyes and doubled my free hand into a fist, swinging it around my body and landing it right in her nose.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled to her and jumped onto the stage. Before the knights could catch me, Benero and Zenero, the henchmen, tackled them to the side.

I ran into the ship, followed by Baku. We hurried to the control room, but Blank blocked my way. As soon as I saw him, I clung onto him.

"Where were you? Where were you? Where were you?" I repeated. I wasn't even sure if I was speaking clearly.

"Get in the bedroom, now," he ordered, but I refused. I hooked my arms around his stomach, pressing myself as close to him as possible.

"No! I'm staying here with you guys!"

"Sori," Blank said harshly, gently grabbing the sides of my head and tilting it back so I could look at him. "Please just work with me. I don't know what Queen Brahne would do to stop us if she knew we have the princess. Just please get in the bedroom and cover yourself with as many blankets and pillows as you can find."

Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I knew how they looked. Scared, nervous, uneasy.

I sighed and dropped my arms. "Okay, fine."

His large hand engulfed mine and he took off running down the stairs toward the bedroom. His movements were fast and sharp. I'd only seen him move like this once before. It was strange to me because Blank was normally calm with his body language.

He practically slammed two of the beds together against the wall before pulling me toward them. "Stay as compact as you can," he ordered. I lay in the center of the two beds and he piled blankets and pillows on top of me.

"Blank," I said loudly so he could hear me through all the padding. The pillow in front of my face was lifted and he looked at me.

"What is it?"

"I'm scared."

His mouth formed into a hard line and he forced a smile. "You're going to be okay. I promise. We'll get the princess out of here, get back to Lindblum, and I'll take you out to dinner. I know how you love food. How does that sound?"

Before I could answer, an explosion sounded, followed by the ship rocking back and forth. Blank gasped and grabbed onto the side of the bed to steady himself.

"Damn it," he hissed and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The ship seemed to vibrate with another explosion. I started to smell smoke, people started screaming, and I began to cry.

The ship shook violently as it took off. From the sounds of wood breaking and loud crackling noises, I knew we were being attacked. I didn't move from my safe place.

I could hear the Tantalus boys running around the ship, yelling orders at each other to go onto the stage and help Zidane. Everyone argued against it, though, saying that they didn't want to die.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the smell of burning bodies and wood. The worst thing about the whole experience was trying to push out the memories that continuously tried to shove their way back into my mind.

My heart dropped into my stomach when I heard Cinna run by, yelling, "We're gonna crash! Grab anyone you can!"

I didn't know what else to do, so I started screaming as loudly as I could. I doubted anyone could hear me over the blankets and all the others who were screaming, too.

Suddenly, the blankets closed in more around me and a solid figure lay on top of me. "Sori!" Blank's voice sounded. "You're okay!"

I stopped screaming and reached out from under the blanket, feeling around for his hand. Once I grabbed onto it, I pressed my face into his palm and shut my eyes tightly again. He quickly pulled the blanket off me and crawled under, holding my body against his firmly.

"It's almost over, I promise," he repeated. It was hard to hear him through my gasping sobs.

"We're going to die," I told him. "We're going to crash and die!"

"No we're not! We're going to be perfectly fine!" I felt his hand snake up my back and his fingers press against the back of my neck. Before I could fight against him, I felt the light pop, and everything faded away.

(!)(!)(!)

"Blank! Sori! C'mon, you guys! Wake up!"

My eyelids felt so heavy, as did the rest of my body. After a few tries, I was able to fully open them. A mass of red hair was on my chest and Cinna was looking down on me. His face was covered in soot.

"Blank," I groaned, trying to push him off. I ran my fingers through his hair. Something warm had smeared on my palm. I stared at it for what seemed like forever.

"Sori…He's okay. A piece of wood just fell and knocked him unconscious," Cinna said slowly, as if I might attack him unexpectedly. "He's going to be okay."

I fought back the tears in my eyes. "Get me a rag," I choked out.

Once Cinna left the room, the tears escaped. With my clean hand, I rubbed the back of it across my face, looking at the dirt I'd wiped off afterwards. A loud slam of a door caused Blank to moan and lift himself off my body.

"Ow," he whispered to himself, running his hand over the back of his head. He frowned as he looked at the blood he wiped off his hair, and then forced a smile when he met my eyes. "Hey, why are you crying?"

"You got hurt," I mumbled, staring at his blood on my own hand.

"You're okay, right?" he asked. I nodded slowly. "Then everything is okay! At least the blood matches my hair."

Even though he was obviously trying to make me laugh, I couldn't. It just made more tears rinse off the dust on my cheeks.

"C'mon, Sori, I'm trying to make you smile," he said in a defeated tone.

"I've got a ra- Oh, bro, you're awake. How're you feeling?" Cinna asked, tossing the rag to me. I got to my knees and crawled behind Blank, carefully untying his headband.

"My head hurts. But I'm okay," he replied.

I blocked out their conversation and focused on wiping the blood off the back of Blank's head. It would've been much easier if his hair was not the same color as the blood. Thankfully, there wasn't as much as I thought there was going to be.

"I'm gonna go try to find Zidane. I think he fell off," Cinna said, heading for the door.

"Cinna, are we in…you know," Blank asked, obviously talking in that "boy language" they used against me all the time.

Cinna glanced away and nodded. "Yeah, bro. We are." Before I could ask any questions, he hurried out of the room, closing the door hard behind him.

I set the rag aside and sat back on my heels, looking at Blank. "Where are we?" I asked. "And don't tell me that you don't know because I know you do know."

"Evil Forest. It's rumored that no one has ever made it out of here alive." He stood up and flashed one of those don't-worry-I'll-take-care-of-things smiles. "I'm going to go check on everyone. Please stay in this room."

He ruffled my hair (which had fallen out of the bun a long time ago) and walked out, fastening his headband on his way. I waited a few minutes to be sure that Blank was gone before hopping off the bed and sneaking out of the room.

I walked past the members of the orchestra that had played for _I Want To Be Your Canary_. They were spread out across the main room, some knocked out and some awake in pain. I tried my hardest to avoid eye contact. I felt almost guilty that I had made it out with only a few scratches and bruises while they ended up with gashes across their bodies and broken bones.

_I'll have to thank Blank later,_ I thought.

I made my way up to the control room, inspecting the damage on the way. Inside the room, Baku was complaining under his breath about how expensive it would be to get everything fixed.

"Hey, boss," I greeted.

"Hey," he replied. Or, at least, that's what it sounded like.

"Where's Zidane? Or the princess?"

"I don't know. Somewhere."

"Oh. Cool."

"Move, move!" Blank yelled from behind me, almost pushing me out of the way. He ran to the very top of the spiral staircase, where all the "first-aid" items were kept. Although we didn't have much, Blank always found a way to put things together to make what we had work ten times better.

"What the hell's going on?" Baku demanded to know.

"Zidane came back with that Alexandrian knight and that Black Mage," Blank answered from above us. "The mage was infected with reproducing seeds. I need to get this to him before they sprout in his body."

He ran back past me with a vial of black liquid in his hand. I didn't hesitate to run after him back to the bedroom. When we arrived, the mage was lying back on the bed I was on, breathing heavily. His scared yellow eyes watched Blank sit on the bed next to him.

"You guys are lucky. If it weren't for Zidane, you'd both be dead. Some of the monsters in this forest reproduce by planting seeds in other animals. And when the seeds sprout, its hasta la vista: you become beef jerky," Blank said casually.

The mage shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Um…Am I going to d-die?"

"No. Just drink this. It's like a seed remover."

Blank passed on the vial and we watched the mage drink it, which was strange in itself. All we could really see was the liquid fall toward where his face should be, then disappear.

"What's your name, anyway?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the shiver of disgust the mage did.

"Vivi. Thank you for helping me," Vivi said softly, giving the empty vial back to Blank.

"No problem. I'm Blank, by the way. This is-"

"Sori, his second in command and best friend."

Blank gently nudged my shoulder. "And obvious loudmouth." After Vivi chuckled after that remark, Blank smiled. "Well, Vivi, you should just sleep for now and give that medicine time to work. Come on, Sori."

I followed Blank out of the bedroom and exhaled slowly. "I just want to go back to Lindblum and sleep for a week," I told him. I shot him a grin, but it swiftly faded away when I saw the look on his face. "You're mad."

Blank turned his head to look at the group of musicians, who were watching us secretively. Shaking his head, he grabbed my hand and led me into the next room.

"I'm just frustrated with you," he told me honestly. "I told you to-"

"Blank, will you please take that thing off your face when you talk to me?" I asked, intentionally interrupting. He hated when people cut him off.

His mouth formed into a tight line for a moment before he untied it and yanked it off his face, glaring daggers at me. "Yeah, sure, Sori. _Anything_ for you."

Irritation formed inside my gut and I ground my teeth together. "Why are you so pissed at me, Blank? What did I do?"

"You don't listen to me, Sori. The only time you listen is when you actually think you're going to die."

"That's the only time I should listen to you! Half the time, you don't know what the hell you're talking about! Just because you're two years older doesn't mean you can tell me what to do because you think it's what's best for me! Have you ever thought that I can take care of myself? I'm not little anymore!" I yelled, instantly regretting the words that flew from my mouth. It felt as if someone else was controlling what I was saying.

Blank was quiet for a few moments. He nodded slowly and smirked. "Okay, fine. I'm not going to tell you what to do anymore. You're on your own." He closed his eyes and lifted his arms to retie the headband.

"Blank, I-"

"No. I'm not going to look out for you. I'm done caring." Without another word, he walked out, waving in a friendly way to the trumpet player.

After watching him walk off, I emerged from the room. "Tough break, honey," a tuba player said.

"Shut up!"

(!)(!)(!)

I occupied myself by helping the other members of Tantalus pull the dead bodies out of the ship. Looking around Evil Forest, I realized I missed Lindblum more than anything else.

How many hours passed, I couldn't tell you. How many charred, unrecognizable bodies we dragged out, I couldn't tell you that either. I lost count after eleven.

Blank was nowhere to be found. I figured he was holed up with Marcus in the map room, making some kind of plan to get out safely. I pictured him with his thinking face on, running through every scenario in his head twice to see where errors could be made. He had a strange way of thinking.

Feeling more exhausted than I had in a very long time, I made my way back to the bedroom, only to run into Zidane and the knight from before huddled around Vivi.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting on the broken bunk-bed.

"That is none of your business, thief!" the knight yelled, pointing an accusing finger at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Ouch, never heard that one before," I said sarcastically. "I wasn't talking to you, tin-can. _Zidane_, what's going on?"

"We're going to find the princess," he answered.

"Oh, so she's alive?"

"How dare you speak of the princess in such a disrespectful manner?" the knight yelled.

"Shut up, Steiner!" Zidane snapped. "Have you seen Blank, Sori?"

"…No."

"That's weird. Do you wanna come with us?"

I thought about it for a moment. How would Blank feel if I left? Would he be even more upset with me? Or would he be happy that I was gone? Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't bring myself to actually do it. Ever since I met Blank, separation was impossible.

"No. I can't leave…you know. I just can't," I mumbled, staring at the burned wooden ceiling.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Come on, you two."

Three minutes after the trio left, I changed my mind. I hurried downstairs toward the hole blown on the side of the ship, but nearly skidded to a stop when I arrived. Blank was leaned against the wall, his head tilted down in a way he did when he was in deep thought. I knew his eyes were closed, so I carefully tried to sneak past him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, lifting his head to look straight at me.

"I'm…going with Zidane."

"Why?"

"Well, there's nothing else I can do here, so I figured I could do something to help them out there."

"Here, then," he said, holding out his sword. I stared at it for a moment, and then looked up at his face. "Are you going to take it or not? You're going to need it to get through the monsters."

"You're…just going to let me go out there? On my own?" I questioned in disbelief.

"You're old enough to take care of yourself. I'm not always going to be around to make up for your mistakes."

Blank's words felt as if they stabbed my heart a thousand times over, as depressing as that sounds. I bit down on my lower lip and tried to hide the tears that fell by grabbing the sword and running out, following the muddy footprints that led through the forest.

(!)(!)(!)

By the time I reached a spring, I was covered in not just my own blood, but the blood of monsters that I'd learned to slice through as I ran. A part of me was proud of myself. I'd never done something so dangerous without Blank's help.

I forced myself to keep going until I reached an entrance with stone roots emerging from it. Slowly, I walked inside, gripping the hilt of the sword securely.

I couldn't help but scream at the large plant that was swinging its vines at Zidane, Vivi, and Steiner. Fear paralyzed me and all I could do was watch them get thrown around and whipped.

"Looks like I made it just in time!" Blank yelled, running out from where I entered, another sword in his hand. He aimed at a vine and sliced through it, dodging the yellow slime that spewed from the gash. The large plant shrieked and backed away a bit, giving everyone a moment to breathe.

Blank dashed over to me and grabbed my shoulders. "Blank," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I can't do anything without you."

Even though I knew he was terrified beyond reason, he smiled at me. "Don't worry about it, Sori. Go back to the ship. Marcus found an alternative way out of here."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Once we get the princess, I'll be waiting for you on the other side of this forest, okay?"

"Okay."

He pushed me toward the arch of roots, which seemed to be slowly closing. "Just keep running and don't stop to fight anything."

I turned around when I was on the other side. The entrance _was_ closing. It was turning into a stone barrier. "Blank, I love you," I think I said. I'm pretty sure my voice failed me and I only mouthed it.

But he still smiled. This time, it was a real smile. Not one he forced to make me feel better.

"Go," he whispered just before the small hole entirely closed up.

I stood staring at where his face had been just a few seconds ago. Something odd happened to my body then. I felt very warm and tense, like a sudden burst of rage and energy shot through me. I turned around and took off running back the way I came, ignoring all the monsters that tried to lunge at me.

(!)(!)(!)

"Do you think they made it out?" Benero asked as I took my first breath of fresh air the next day when we had finally made it out. It was so bright outside of the forest.

"Yes," I answered automatically. "Blank said he'd be on the other side, waiting for me."

"Let's go then. We'll come back for the Prima Vista later," Marcus said.

Avoiding any paths that led back into the forest, we hurried along, looking for any signs of non-threatening life. As we circled around, we found that half the forest had been petrified.

"Oh, no," Cinna whispered. "They're probably all dead."

"No, look!" Zenero called, pointing to foot prints in the dirt. We inspected them for a long time, until Marcus fell back.

"Bro," he mumbled.

My heart sank into my stomach. "What? Why'd you say that? What's wrong?"

"There's a pair of prints that are missing. Blank's boot prints aren't here." Marcus ran a hand over his face.

"How do you know? Maybe that knight's are the ones that are missing," I said, thinking of anything to deny what Marcus was saying. My legs were beginning to shake and I swear my heart was pounding in my ears.

"Look. That pointed one is the knight's. It falls deeper into the ground, so he must have been carrying the princess. Those little ones are Vivi's and the larger ones are Zidane's. Blank is still in the forest."

"Well how do you know Steiner didn't carry Blank out? Maybe the princess is still in-"

"Girl, stop," Baku said firmly, placing a giant hand on my shoulder. "Blank is petrified. No use in denyin' it. All we can do for him is find a cure."

For the first time since the day I met Blank, I felt empty and useless. I fell back into Baku and lowered my head. I knew better than to let the boss see me cry, but I couldn't help it.

"This is the only time I'll let you cry. Enjoy it while you can."

I dropped the sword and buried my face into Baku's clothing, sobbing loudly. Everyone was quiet for the longest time.

"He said he would be here!" I yelled in frustration. "He said he'd be okay!"

"Knowing Blank, he probably sacrificed himself. Heroic bastard," Cinna said, shaking his head.

"We should head back to Lindblum and start research," Marcus suggested.

"You're the one with the brains and crap," Baku said, gently pushing me off him. "You find out how to fix him and we'll do whatever you want us to."

"I'm helping," I said, looking at Marcus. He made an unsure face. Before he had the opportunity to argue, I held up my hand. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to help you. Blank has been my best friend for ten years. I owe him all I have for everything he's done for me in that time."

Marcus' gaze settled on me and he huffed. "Fine. First thing's first, we need to get to Lindblum."

"Let's go! I need to get some food in my belly! Sori, pick that sword up and wipe away those baby tears! Tantalus members don't cry!"

I grabbed Blank's sword tightly and nodded to Baku. "Yes, sir."


	2. Charred

_"THIEF!"_

_My mother held me closer as a blur of scarlet hair flew past me, holding something that resembled a loaf of bread close to its body, and two guards. A dissatisfied sigh came from her lips as she released me, keeping a firm grasp on my hand._

"_It would have been nice if Felicia taught her boy some manners before she passed."_

"_Momma, who was her boy?" I asked, looking up at her large jade eyes._

"_Nobody, Sori. It doesn't matter anymore. We must hurry. Your father will be getting home soon." _

_Talk of Father brought happiness to my stomach. It had been a week since he left to work near the South Gate. "Do you think he'll buy us more food with all his money?" I wondered, nearly pulling her back to our house. The lights from the houses in Dali slowly faded as we traveled into the fields. Our small farmhouse grew into view after a while._

"_Possibly, my love."_

_The familiar smell of vanilla hit my face as Mother opened the door. I hurried to my diminutive room and lit the candle near my window so Father would know we were home. Then, I sat on my bed, patiently waiting._

"_Sori!" Mother called a short time after. A jolt of anticipation sent my body flying off my bed and back into the living room, where she was holding out a small bale of hay._

"_Please take this out to the Chocobo."_

"_Yes, Mother."_

_The hay irritated the skin on my arms as I carried it out to the barn, so I hurried to kick open the door. A gasping noise made me drop the hay. Groaning tersely followed._

_I grabbed the candle from the table near the door and lit it. A boy was lying on the ground in front of the door, holding his arm. I must've smacked him._

"_Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling next to him. He sat up, holding his elbow, and stared at me with terrified eyes. He almost had the same color of blue eyes that Father had._

_The boy narrowed his eyes at me, trying to look daunting. It didn't work all that well, though. "Why's it matter to you?" he snapped at me. "Tell me now if you're going to turn me into the guards so I can start looking for another place to stay."_

"_Turn you in?" I repeated. It was then that his flaming red hair caught my attention. He was the boy running through Dali earlier. "I'm not gonna turn you in. Can I see your arm?"_

_He hesitated, but eventually uncovered his arm. Only a small graze could be found on his skin. "I was going to pay back the bakery lady, I swear," he told me, glancing at the half-eaten loaf of bread he had stolen earlier. "I even told her that, but she didn't listen, so I grabbed it and ran."_

"_It's just a cut. I don't think you broke your arm," I reassured him. "Hey, what's your name anyway?"_

"_The name's Blank. How about you?"_

"_I'm Sori. Do you not have a home?" I proceeded to sit all the way down, crossing my legs._

"_Nope. Not since my mother died. I've been on my own for almost a whole year."_

"_Well, don't you have a father?"_

"_Mother said he left before I was born. I've never seen him."_

_I frowned, not understanding why a father would leave before his son was born. In a nearby stall, Father's Chocobo squawked loudly, watching the bale of hay. I hurried to untie the rope holding it together and throw it over the wooden door._

"_Sori! I'm home!" Father's voice called from outside the barn. Blank inhaled sharply and looked around for a place to hide, but it was too late. "Well, who is this?"_

_I ran into my father's arms only to be picked up and hugged tightly. In his ear, I whispered, "He doesn't have a home."_

_My father beamed and looked down at Blank, holding me with one arm. "What's your name, son?"_

_Blank rushed to stand up straight and replied, "I'm Blank, sir."_

"_All right, Blank. How would you like to sleep in a bed tonight?" My father held out his free hand toward Blank, whose eyes were shining with delight. _

"_I would like that, sir." _

_My father's hand curled over Blank's small one and we walked out of the barn. "Maybe we could also get you some food in that stomach, too."_

_As soon as we entered the house, Father put me on the ground and told me to prepare a decent place for Blank to sleep while he went to talk to Mother. I led Blank to my room and cleared out a spot on my bed for him._

"_Will this be okay?" I asked. Blank watched my bed for a moment, and then nodded._

"_Thank you."_

"_You stay here. I'm going to ask when dinner will be done."_

_I left him in my room and walked toward the living room, avoiding the creaking floorboard that always got me into trouble in the middle of the night. Before I greeted my parents, I hung near the edge of the doorframe, listening to them talk._

"_Zen, I don't want to take in another child. Especially not Felicia's boy. Do you realize how much trouble he caused today in Dali?"_

"_He doesn't have anywhere else to stay. Its not as if we're adopting him. Besides, he's a good-mannered boy. Looks like he has a bit of muscle on him. I could use him in the stalls. Sori needs a friend, too."_

"_Fine. But if he steals one single thing, he's gone."_

(!)(!)(!)

My eyes fluttered open, only to be forced shut again by the blinding sunlight sneaking in through the large window next to the bed. I buried my face into the pillow, pretending it was still dark outside, until a body-shaped pile of blankets on the bed next to me came into view.

"Blank, wake up. You can't sleep in again," I muttered sleepily, grabbing toward the blankets. I pushed on them and they collapsed onto the bed.

_Don't be stupid_, I thought. _He's gone._

Since I couldn't physically touch Blank, I reached over and clutched a pillow, stuffing it against my face. Inhaling slowly, I took in his scent, thinking to myself how it was almost like he was there with me.

"Sori!" Marcus called from the lower level. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah!" I rolled over onto my back and stared at the makeshift ceiling, trying to remember how exactly we'd gotten to Lindblum.

Images of the lacking footprints near Evil Forest flashed through my mind. The walk to the gate and ride on the cable car seemed to blur together. I thought of the two days that had passed, how the Tantalus group slept almost on each other as we were crammed on seats, and how I stayed awake the entire time, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened.

The bulky bell near the windows started to sound throughout the kingdom, ringing twice before finally dying down. Was it already two in the afternoon?

I reluctantly scooted off the bed and climbed down the ladder. Marcus was sitting at the table in the center of the room, leaning over a dusty book. The soot that had once covered him had been washed off.

"Why did you let me sleep in so late?" I questioned him, grabbing a seat against the table. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of coffee. Two empty cups were knocked over on the table, telling me that Marcus had been awake all night.

"I know better than to wake you up. You're extra-grumpy when we do."

"I'm not grumpy…"

"Uh-huh."

"What are you reading?" I asked, intentionally changing the subject. I wasn't in the mood to argue with him.

"Some book Cinna found. Its about different kinds of ailments and conditions. From what I've gotten so far, we're going to have to make a trip to Dali."

"Dali?" I repeated, feeling a sudden headache coming on. "Why Dali? There's nothing there except a few houses and a tiny farm."

"There's a type of plant that can only be found around there. You don't have to go if you don-"

"I'm going," I interrupted. "I told you, I'm going to do anything I can to help Blank."

He shrugged, grabbed the two coffee cups, and tossed them into a bag which was usually filled with dirty dishes. "Damn. Ruby isn't here to clean anymore."

(!)(!)(!)

"Now before we go, you're _sure_ you've got everything you want to take with you?" Cinna asked me for the tenth time as we exited the air cab.

I rolled my eyes, holding up Blank's sword with my right hand. "Weapon: check." I turned my back to him, showing the sack Ruby had bought me for my last birthday. "Food, money, childhood memories: check. Yeah, Cinna, I'm sure."

Marcus held a worn map in front of his face as we walked down the stairs, leading out of the Business District. "Looks like we'll be climbing down some mountains."

I mentally groaned and complained to myself. Blank was _so_ lucky I loved him enough to put out any sort of manual work for his sake.

As we crossed the Lindblum Plateau, the two men fell into their own conversation about some waitress who worked at a pub I'd been to once. The second the word "hot" came out of Cinna's mouth, I blocked them out, pushing myself into my own thoughts.

I wondered how Blank was feeling. Was he still conscious? Could he still see things? Was he still breathing? Even though it felt as if it were a hundred degrees outside, I shivered at the thought of being in his condition, not being able to move.

"Wow, that's a long way down," Cinna commented when we arrived at the mountains Marcus had mentioned earlier.

"Yeah, but we need to get down to get to the Eunorus Plateau," Marcus replied, already working his way down the slanted hill.

I went slower than they did, using the sword as a balance point. Breathing heavily, I stabbed it into the earth then lowered myself down inch by inch.

"Sori, just jump! I'll catch you!" Marcus shouted. They had made it to the bottom quickly, but I wasn't even half-way down.

"_Hell_ no! You'll drop me on purpose!"

"Why would I do that?"

"You did before!"

"I was twelve! Just trust me!"

I whimpered quietly, praying in my head that Marcus wouldn't abandon me, and yanked the sword from the side of the mountain, pushing myself off with my legs. I'm sure everyone in Lindblum heard my ear-piercing screams as I tumbled through the air.

"Stop screaming, banshee!" Cinna's voice yelled. He sounded very close, so I opened my eyes to find that I was already in Marcus' arms, safely on the ground.

"Oh," I muttered, feeling the blush on my cheeks. "Sorry."

Once I was placed on the ground, I glanced around, looking for any sign of danger. The only living creatures, besides the three of us, were two oversized spiders fighting each other about a mile away. We didn't hang around to see which one came out as the victor.

Between the Eunorus Plateau and the King Ed Plains, a small, rickety bridge stood proudly although it was being pelted by the water rushing underneath. As we continued toward the South Gate, the familiar call of Chocobos sounded nearby.

"Remember when Blank first showed up with you?" Cinna reminisced, listening closely to the squawking noises. "You both smelled funny. Like…smoke and Chocobo feathers."

I grimaced at the sound of Marcus' laughter. "Ruby hated that smell. I remember watching her strip you down and scrub the smell off."

"I bet that was the only time you've ever seen a girl naked," I teased. Cinna snorted loudly.

"That's right," Marcus replied sarcastically. "Man, I've got to hand it to you, Sori. Your seven-year-old body was so hot."

"Shut up, Marcus."

"Hey, there's the South Gate. Sori, you have the Gate Pass, right?"

I stopped walking and swung my bag in front of my body, rummaging around for it. My hand rested for a moment on a piece of Blank's clothing I had snuck in there when I was packing, but as soon as they started advancing toward me, I pushed it out of the way and grabbed the small piece of paper.

"Got it."

Marcus took the pass from me and took a brief glance at the map. "We don't have much longer after the South Gate."

I fastened my bag back onto my back just in time to be tackled to the side by Cinna. "Move!" he yelled. I landed on my backside and watched one of the giant spiders we saw earlier fly past the spot where my head was.

I hurried to get onto my feet and grab for Blank's sword, realizing then that I had close to no fighting experience. The only time I did fought anything was in Evil Forest, and even then I think I was driven by pure adrenaline. I hardly remember any of those battles.

With the Gate Pass held securely between his lips, Marcus huffed and ran toward the spider, slashing upward and cutting off two of its legs. The spider stumbled to the side, now off balance, and shot a sticky web back at him.

The ashen web curled around Marcus' body and sent him crashing to the ground, unable to move. Cinna ran to his aide, leaving only me to finish off the monster.

With a loud shriek, the spider hobbled around to face me, raising two of its legs to whip at me. For a quick moment, everything seemed to slow down and become silent. I glanced up at the thin limbs falling down toward me and heard myself exhale.

"_Duck and tackle!"_

As soon as Blank's voice left my head, time resumed normally and the surrounding sounds blurred back into motion. I listened to what he told me, grabbing the remaining legs of the spider as I went under, piercing it's underside with the sword and dragging the metal along its body. Pale green fluids spewed from the laceration. I vaulted out of the way just in time to avoid it.

"Damn, Sori, where did you learn to fight?" Cinna questioned me, watching the spider's lifeless body crumble down.

"I heard him," I mumbled, staring at my success. "Blank told me what to do."

Marcus wiggled his way out of the sticky web and shot me an odd look. "You heard Blank?"

"I think she's just tired," Cinna said, searching for a reasonable excuse. "Seven hours of sleep in what, four days? I think we should get a room once we reach Dali."

"I'm not tired!" I yelled, holding the sword tighter. "I swear I heard him."

"Okay, okay," Marcus hurriedly said, holding up his palms toward me in a defensive way. "Let's just forget about it and keep going. But I agree with Cinna. We should definitely stay the night in Dali."

(!)(!)(!)

The trip through the South Gate flew by in a blur. My mind wasn't with my body. It was with Blank. How did I hear him? I knew I heard those words before, I just didn't remember when.

"Hey, didn't you used to live around here, Sori?" Cinna asked when we reached the Nolrich Heights area. Tall grass brushed at my legs just as it did when I was younger.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "My father's farmhouse stood right over there." I pointed to the east. A small clump of blackened wood had been strewn around.

I was surprised that tears didn't form in my eyes. I forced myself to believe I'd cried out all my tears that involved the disaster on that first night.

"Come on," Marcus urged, placing a guiding hand on my back. "We need to hurry."

I wanted to stay there, thinking back on my childhood for just a moment longer, but I knew it would only send me into a state of depression. I'm sure Marcus knew that, too. He was good at reading people.

(!)(!)(!)

"How much is it for one night?"

"One hundred gil."

Once the room was paid for, we retreated to the tiny space and collapsed on the beds. Cinna fell asleep almost instantly, but I remained curled in a ball, wide awake.

"I'm going to ask around," Marcus said, walking out. "If you leave, try not to go too far."

"All right."

After he left, I thought about the small town. Growing up, my mother and I would walk the streets while my father was away. She would buy me cheap toys made by the storeowners and I would pick weeds for her, thinking they were beautiful flowers. Even though she knew what they were, she always kept them and put them in vases when we got back home.

Dali had been a superior town then. There had been more houses and the farm was much larger. The people had been more friendly back then, too. They didn't gossip about Black Mages, like we'd heard on the way in.

I thought of Vivi, Zidane, Steiner, and the princess. Where were they now? Were they okay? Had they made it to Lindblum okay?

"Mmm," Cinna mumbled on the bed across from me, hugging the blanket close to his body. "I love hammers…"

I thought I would have been able to fall right to sleep the second my body touched the bed, but sleeping seemed impossible. I sat up and silently left the tiny inn, heading back toward the charred memories.

(!)(!)(!)

"_Is he here? Is he back yet, Momma?" _

"_Sori, calm down. Yes, I see him. It's hard not to see that hair of his."_

_Father stood behind me and lifted me up with ease so I could see out the window. "See? Right on time." _

_I struggled about until I was placed back on the floor. The front door was pulled open and I took off sprinting toward Blank. Even though I knew he wouldn't catch me, I jumped at him anyway. We both fell to the ground in smiles and laughter._

"_I got you something in Lindblum. I know your birthday was a few days ago, but I guess it's better to get you something late than never," Blank said, reaching into the weatherworn sack Mother had made for him the first time he left for Lindblum._

_His dirt-covered hands gently pulled out a stuffed Mu, a sometimes dangerous monster found around the Nolrich Heights area. I had always commented on their cuteness and how I wanted a baby Mu to raise into a gentle beast._

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried out, locking my arms around his neck and knocking him back onto the ground again._

"_What have you got there, Sori?" Mother asked as she picked the two of us off the ground. _

"_Blank got it for me!"_

"_How cute. Blank, how was your trip?"_

_Blank smiled up at Mother, who had eventually came around to having a part-time guest in the house. He made trips to Lindblum every month or so, saying he had business with a friend of his mother's, but he always came back with expensive items for my family, as payment for giving him a home. Father had once asked where he obtained the money for such items, but Blank always played it off like they were given to him by the family friend. I knew when he lied, though. However, I never pushed the subject._

"_It was fine. I brought you a replacement bowl for the one I accidentally broke."_

"_Oh, I told you not to worry about it. Come on, we need to get you washed up."_

_We followed closely behind Mother, making sure to stay in her shadow. I held my stuffed Mu close to my body with both arms. From the barn, Father waved to Blank. _

"_Blank, will you teach me how to swing a sword today?" I asked, watching him scrub his hands under the water when we got into the house. _

"_Sure."_

_I made my way to my room and placed my toy on my side of the bed. After two months of Blank living with us, we had split my bed in two, which never lasted throughout the night. By the time morning came, we were always either sleeping sideways or on top of each other._

"_Ready?" Blank inquired, standing in the doorway. I nodded and grabbed the two wooden swords Father carved for us. He always joked that Blank would have to be the hero if an invasion ever happened._

_The outside heat pounded down on us as we faced each other. Blank had tried to teach me how to spar before, but I was a slow learner and never got the hang of it, so he just stuck with teaching me dodging techniques._

"_I'm going to run at you, and you're going to use your instinct to know what to do next, okay?" Blank said, readying his fake blade._

_A sense of panic hit me when he took off full-speed at me. He had always been a fast runner, but the way he was moving was insane. Fear struck me hard, to the point where I couldn't move._

"_Are you okay?" Blank asked, standing right in front of me. He lowered his blade and took a step away._

"_Yeah, sorry," I whispered. "I don't know what happened. Go again."_

_He nodded and walked back to his original spot, facing me again. "I'm going to tell you what to do this time." He ran at me, but slower than before. Once he was reasonably close, he jumped at me. "Duck and tackle!"_

_I did as he said, ramming his legs with my shoulder, causing him to do a messy flip in the air and land hard on the ground. He remained there on his back, breathing heavily for a few moments. I ran over to him, dropping my sword on the way._

"_Are you okay?" I panicked. _

"_Yeah," he muttered weakly. "You knocked the air out of me. I'm okay, though." He sat up and forced a grin onto his face. "Good job."_

(!)(!)(!)

"Sori?"

Marcus' voice snapped me out of my thoughts. How long had I been staring at my old home? I tilted my head up to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Can I sit with you?"

"Sure."

He sat down next to me in the grass and gazed at the burnt wood scattered about. We were quiet for the longest time, which I didn't mind. It was nice to sit with him and not argue about something insignificant. Every so often, a cold breeze would hit us as a result of the Ice Cavern about a mile away.

"How long did Blank live with you before you two came to Tantalus?" he finally asked.

"About two years," I answered after a second of thought. "I knew when he took those trips to Lindblum, that he wasn't seeing his mother's friend. It made sense to me the second he brought me to you guys that night. My parents weren't stupid, but Blank was a good liar."

An amused smirk formed on Marcus' face. "He always told us not to tell anyone he was a member of Tantalus. He didn't want you or your parents to think less of him."

"My parents loved him."

"So did you," he teased. We had always been teased about secretly being together, but we joked along with them, always telling them and each other that we were just best friends.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "You talk like he's dead. I still love him."

"I think everyone knew before you two realized it."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and stretched out his legs in front of him, propping his body up with his palms behind his back. "When you first came, it was obvious he loved you. Do you remember when Zidane started to hit on you?"

I couldn't hold back a small smile. "Of course. It was my first week with you guys and Zidane started asking me out on dates. The little womanizer."

"Blank told him to back off. I'd never seen him so serious before then. That little incident gave away the first hint. I think what settled it was when you went on that date with that one guy. What was his name again?"

"Oh, don't bring that up."

(!)(!)(!)

"_I don't think its right for a girl your age to go on a date, that's all," Blank stubbornly told me, turning his back to me to polish his sword. I gave myself one more glance in the mirror, admiring how pretty I looked for the first time, thanks to Ruby._

_My hair fell down my back in loose curls and on the left side of my head, Ruby had placed a ruby barrette in my hair. She had even picked out my dress: a soft red garb she had only worn once. It was a little short, but I felt comfortable in it and she said that was all that mattered. At my arms, the dress turned into a transparent fabric that cut off at my wrists. _

"_I'm fourteen, Blank. Most girls my age already have husbands."_

"_So? You don't have to be like most girls."_

_I sighed and turned away, deciding to pull the guilt card. "It's because I don't look pretty enough for Lowell, huh? I knew I should've told him no when he asked me."_

_I heard the deafening noise of the chair Blank was sitting in smash to the ground and I turned back around, only to find my face within centimeters of his chest. Slowly, I looked up at his face. _

"_Don't ever say you're not pretty enough for anyone. Lowell isn't good enough for you."_

"_Well, that was just plain adorable!" Ruby exclaimed, crawling out of her eavesdropping spot under the bed platforms. _

_Blank growled under his breath and picked the chair off the floor, positioning it back in its usual spot. He sat on it and continued to work on his weapon, blocking out the rest of the world. I watched him sadly, wishing Ruby hadn't have interrupted. _

"_Lowell's here, darlin'!" she yelled, glancing out the window. Within seconds, a knock came at the door. Ruby hurried to open it, inviting him into the hideout. _

_The actor looked around the place in disgust. "How a pretty girl like yourself can live in such a pitiable shack, I'll never understand. Are you ready, m'lady?"_

_I gave Blank once last peek. Even though his headband covered his eyes, I knew by the tightness of his jaw that he was glaring daggers at Lowell. _

"_Bye, Blank," I mumbled, advancing toward my date._

"_Later."_

_Throughout the night, I tried pushing Blank from my thoughts so I could focus on Lowell, but he only talked about himself and his success as a "worldly actor." Half-way through dinner, I decided I couldn't take his rambling anymore and made the excuse that I wasn't feeling well at all. _

"_Do you want me to take you back?" Lowell asked, standing up from the table._

"_No, no," I replied a little too quickly. "I'll walk myself. Thank you for everything tonight. I had a wonderful time."_

"_I know you did."_

_Once my back was turned to him, I mouthed his words to myself, mentally mocking him. The ride on the air cab to the Theater District seemed to drag on forever, but when I finally arrived, I took off my heels and carried them in my hand as I made my way to the hideout._

_It was dark when I got back and the soft snoring from the left side of the room told me everyone was asleep. I quietly moved to the pile of clothes we gathered and took off the dress._

"_Sori?" Blank's voice called. A dim light approached me slowly and it threw me off until I realized it was only a candle he was holding. "How was your date?"_

_Although I stood there, completely naked, his gaze didn't stray from my eyes once. We had seen each other naked before, but nothing ever came of it. _

"_Horrible," I told him honestly, searching for comfortable clothes to sleep in. "Lowell is so full of himself. I couldn't take it anymore. All he talked about was the plays he starred in, or how women all over the world swoon at just the sound of his name." I found an oversized shirt and slipped it on._

"_I'm sorry you had a terrible time."_

"_No, you're not."_

_I watched a smile grow on his face. "You're right. I'm not." He held out his hand to me. I didn't waste any time taking it. "You can sleep on my bed. Zidane took yours for the night."_

(!)(!)(!)

"That was the worst date I ever had," I told Marcus, shaking my head. By now, we were both laying on our backs, staring at the clouds.

"That was the only date you've ever had."

"True. Anyway, did you find what we came here for?" I sat up and looked at him, feeling very satisfied with the time we spent together. It was almost like we were friends instead of just teammates.

"No," he said. "I asked around, but the locals said the plant died out years ago, but the old man who tells the town the wind directions said there's a noble in Treno who bought a vile of it at the auction there. We'll stay in Dali tonight, then take the cable car to Treno tomorrow morning."

We walked back to Dali, stopping by the village store when we entered. Marcus bought small packages of food for the three of us and we brought them back to the inn. Cinna was awake when we opened the door and his eyes instantly locked onto the food.

"Awesome! I'm freakin' starving!"

I sat on the bed I had claimed as mine and ate in silence. It was the first full meal I'd eaten since Blank had been petrified, and it felt wonderful to have a full stomach by the time I was done.

I pushed the empty box onto the floor and curled up on the bed, taking a momentary glance out the window. The sun had already gone down, but it seemed to struggle to stay up over the mountaintops. On the other side of the wall, I listened to the innkeeper shut the door to his own room.

"So, you two are going to head to Treno, right?" Cinna asked, finishing the rest of his food. Marcus, who was sprawled out on one of the free beds, nodded and yawned loudly.

"Yep. You're not going with us?"

"No. I'll head back to Lindblum and tell everyone we've found the cure."

I lifted the blanket from under myself and curled up beneath it, reaching for my bag. I surreptitiously grabbed the piece of fabric that had belonged to Blank and slipped it under the sheets. Seeing that I was readying myself to sleep, Marcus blew out the nearby candle, sending the three of us into darkness. I held the material to my nose, closing my eyes against it.

_We're almost there, Blank. Just hold on for a little while longer._


	3. Sacrifice

_"Oh, my!" _

"_Grab everything you can!"_

_Flames were eating away at our house, loudly and rapidly. We had only been in Dali for a few hours. Who could have set the fire so quickly? _

_I followed Father's instructions, praying Blank had not been inside the house or barn when it had been set aflame. Staying low to the ground, I made my way to my room, only to find that over half of it was on fire. Even my stuffed Mu that Blank had gotten me the year before was almost ash on our charred bed. _

"_Sori!" Blank's voice sounded over the crackling wood._

_I inhaled to call back to him, but smoke had entered my lungs, sending me into a violent coughing fit. I hit the floor, trying to force the poisonous air from my body._

_Two hands lifted me from the ground, setting me carefully on my feet. I was through the house as I attempted to keep my eyes open. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot across my leg and warm liquid formed a river leading down to my ankle._

"_You're okay!" Blank told me. I couldn't see him well, but the red blur told me he was okay, too. Or at least, I thought he was. _

_Screaming from behind us caused me to stop walking toward the South Gate, where Blank told me people were waiting to take us somewhere safe. I called out for my burning parents, but I was practically dragged away, leaving them to their deaths._

"_Take her!" Blank yelled to a heavily-built man who had run toward us with two other boys. They looked to be a little smaller than Blank._

"_Gotcha," the man said. His voice was very deep and the exact opposite of calming. I was lifted off the ground with ease, but I struggled against him, kicking and hoarsely screaming. All I wanted was my parents._

"_His skin…"_

"_Hurry your asses to Lindblum," the man holding me instructed. "NOW!"_

_I had given up the fight against him. He was much larger than me and all I was accomplishing was tiring myself out. The cut on my leg stung badly and I buried my face into the man's clothes, trying to pretend this was all some terrible dream._

_Hours seemed to pass before we heard any noises. The chatter of the crowd came in through a haze. They sounded like they were surrounding us._

"_Ruby!" the man bellowed shortly after a ride on a loud machine. _

"_Oh, my sweet goodness!" a light voice with a heavy Southern accent exclaimed. I was set on the ground and a dainty hand grabbed mine. "You're goin' to be just fine, honey."_

"_Blank," I croaked out after clearing my throat of soot. "I want Blank. Where is he?"_

_My clothes were being stripped from me in a hurry. The cold air hit my body soon after and water was applied to my leg. I wished I could see._

"_He'll be okay. The boys are fixin' him up."_

"_Is he okay?" I repeated, grabbing for her arm. I heard her sigh and her free hand patted the top of mine. _

"_I don't know, darlin'. But Blank's a tough kid."_

_Tears filled my eyes and poured over down my cheeks, washing most of the invading particles from it. Although everything was looking a little better, the blurry images still remained. Ruby, the girl who had been tending to me, looked to be about ten. She had long blue hair that was fastened back in a messy ponytail. _

_I blinked roughly, each time my vision clearing until I could see perfectly. I was standing completely naked in a large room made mostly of stray pieces of wood. A huge bell hung from a metal portion on one of the walls and across from me, a platform connected to a ladder held a few beds._

"_Blank?" I whispered, looking closely at an unrecognizable body lying on a table. It was surrounded by cow-looking people, who held rags with white paste to the body._

_It was a boy, obviously, who had also been stripped naked. His eyes were rolled back into his head and his mouth hung open slightly. His right arm and leg had been severely burned along with the upper left part of his face._

_My eyes strayed to the dirty scarlet hair and a deafening scream flew from my mouth._

(!)(!)(!)

Waking up seemed almost impossible, and when I did, I took a few moments to catch my breath. I knew coming back to Dali was a bad idea.

Clutching Blank's fabric close to my chest, I thought how badly I wanted to leave. Marcus and Cinna were already awake and discussing our next move on the beds across from me.

"Look who's awake," Cinna greeted with a smile. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, sitting up slowly. I already had a headache. Great way to start the day.

"Good news: we found a quicker way for Cinna to get back to Lindblum," Marcus said, nibbling on a slice of flavored bread. "Apparently, there's a cable car that runs pretty close to the kingdom. Beats walking back up that mountain."

I threw Cinna a relieved glance and left the two boys in the room. The lobby was almost empty, except for the innkeeper, who was passed out on his desk. On the fireplace to the right, a brown cat meowed loudly at me, seeking my attention.

Once my palm made contact with its fur, I realized I was still clutching onto my keepsake with my other hand. I held it up to my face, staring at the plain blue pattern, until the cat chomped down on my pinky.

"Ow," I whispered, watching the spot of blood form. "You little asshole…"

"Free breakfast," the innkeeper behind me said randomly. I turned around to face him. He wiped the drool off his face before making eye contact with me. "Free breakfast." His finger pointed to a nearby table. It was loaded with different kinds of bread and fruits.

"Thank you," I mumbled, packing up my arms with anything I could carry.

"Geeze, fatty," Cinna teased when I returned to the room. I dropped the food onto my bed and sat next to it, savoring each bite.

"Once Sori is done, we'll head out."

After hearing those words, I practically shoveled the rest of the breakfast down my throat. The sooner we left, the sooner I could get to Blank. Before we left, I made sure I had all my belongings in my bag. I decided to tie Blank's cloth around my wrist so I wouldn't have to continuously look for it every time I wanted it.

On the way out, I kept my gaze away from my old house, knowing that if I looked at it one last time, I would blame myself again for how Blank's skin turned out. His voice rang in my head, telling me the words he repeatedly said when I felt guilty.

"_It's not your fault, Sori. I look like this because I chose to save my best friend. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."_

"This cable car will stop at Summit Station and we'll split from Cinna there," Marcus said as we arrived at the South Gate. A large, noisy cable car waited in front of us for people to board. Cinna flashed the Gate Pass to a woman in a booth and we got on, finding our way onto seats.

"I didn't think it would be this empty," Cinna commented, glancing around at the four other people onboard with us. I nestled myself in comfortably, watching out the window and trying to ignore the rancid smell of rusting metal.

"Isn't that Blank's?" Marcus questioned, pointing at my wrist. I nodded slowly, holding back a smile.

"Yeah. I grabbed it before we left Lindblum."

"How cute," Cinna mocked, making a kissing face toward me. I rolled my eyes and huffed, turning my attention back toward the window. The cable car started to rumble and a few seconds later, we started moving.

"Leave her alone, Cinna," Marcus defended, much to my surprise. I gave him an odd look and made a mental note to myself to thank him once we were alone.

Like before on the way to Dali, they fell into their own boyish conversation. I made it a point to block them out solely because of their topic. They were talking about a girl back in Lindblum who enjoyed Blank's company _a lot_.

I never cared enough to learn her name simply because I hated her. I hated everything about her. The way she looked at him, the way she talked to him, and the way she would walk past him, shaking her hips in an obnoxious way to try to catch his attention only to fail. I hated it all.

"He's kind of weird, isn't he? I mean, if I had a girl like that wanting to get in my bed, I wouldn't ignore her," Cinna said, pulling my attention back into their conversation.

Marcus, who was sitting next to me, clandestinely nudged my side with his arm. "Maybe he's just holding out for someone else."

What did Marcus know that I didn't? Thinking back on my life in Tantalus, Blank never showed any sort of infatuation with me. He was protective, sure, but aren't all friends supposed to be?

"He's still weird."

"Summit Station! Summit Station!" the attendant yelled over the engine as the cable car came to a screeching halt. Cinna was the first of us to stand up and head for the door, muttering something about South Gate Bundt Cakes.

Summit Station was a small area, populated with mostly workers on their way back to South Gate. Apparently, there had been a huge accident and it needed immediate repairs.

"Come on. Let's wait for Cinna to finish stuffing his face," Marcus suggested, leading me into the actual building. There were about ten tables spread about and three vendors, each selling different types of foods and healing items.

I sat at the closest table to the food vendor and watched with disgust as Cinna literally shoved a pink-colored desert into his mouth. A nearby bell rang a few minutes later, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Instead, he ordered another cake.

"Come on, Cinna. You're going to miss the car," Marcus urged.

"One more."

Cinna stood up to order another cake, but Marcus grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the large archway. I followed close behind the two, avoiding collision with any of the workers. The bell rang again and a wave of people came toward us.

"I missed my ride!" Cinna yelled, watching the cable car ride off toward Lindblum. "What am I gonna do now?"

"How should I know?" Marcus replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "You're the one who couldn't stop eating."

"I'm gonna be late getting back to Lindblum…"

I glanced around, hoping Cinna wasn't making a scene. There were barely any people in the boarding area. Only the conductor and a girl in an orange outfit.

"Wait," I whispered. Before I could say anything to my teammates, Cinna yelled something about more cakes and I was dragged back into the waiting area.

We returned to the food vendor and I was pushed out of the way by a large man in heavy armor. "Out of my way."

"Hey! That's no way to treat a lady," I shrieked at him, attempting to push him back. The only thing that came from that was an embarrassing failure. I was too little to move someone so heavy.

"You," the man whispered, looking down at me. "You're the scoundrels from Tantalus! Are you here to kidnap the princess again?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to remember where I'd seen his face before. Then it clicked. He was the Alexandrian knight that showed up in the middle of the play.

"Who's the big tin man?" Cinna asked, glancing around at the people who were starting to watch us.

"What? How dare you!"

"That's the captain of the Knights of Pluto," Marcus explained.

"Steiner, or something like that, I think," I added, slipping away to the vendor. I'd rather not be seen with a yelling knight.

I peeked over the glass showcase of the fresh food and reached into my pocket, estimating how much money I had on me. Not much, but enough to get something decent. The man behind the counter stared lazily at me, somewhat paying attention to the commotion behind me. I glanced at him awkwardly and I knew that he was wondering if I was part of that.

"Can I just get a Bundt Cake, please?" I mumbled shyly, placing my currency on the countertop in exchange for a pink cake.

"The cable car to Alexandria has arrived!" a loud, unfamiliar voice hollered.

"It's here!" Cinna said, heading toward the exit again.

"But you're going to Lindblum," Marcus replied, eyeing my cake hungrily. I glared at him, hoping he knew I paid for it with my own money.

"I'm going to see you two off."

"Sori, let's go."

I frowned. "But…I have cake."

"Eat it on the way."

(!)(!)(!)

I made sure to get the seat next to the window, so I could watch the monsters pass by us on the way. Marcus sat across from me and watched Steiner and the princess board the car. Where were they going?

With attitude in his movements, Steiner sat at the front of the car, away from us. Princess Garnet made her way toward us and smiled at me. My mouth was full of cake, so I only returned her smile with a wave.

"Why are you two going to Treno, Marcus?" she asked. Her speech was different, more casual, than before.

"To save our brother."

"Who?"

"There's only one man I call 'bro.' That's Blank," he explained simply. "We've been gathering info to cure his petrification. We finally learned about an item called Supersoft that cures all forms of petrification."

She sat next to me gracefully and I was suddenly struck with a bit of jealousy. If I had been brought up the way she had, Blank wouldn't have had to save me from a burning house.

Once I had finished my cake, I folded the thin paper plate and tossed it under my seat. Figuring it would be rude to listen in on their conversation, I ignored the princess and Marcus. It wasn't until the cable car made a sudden stop that I realized I was gripping tightly onto the fabric on my wrist.

"It might be engine trouble!" the conductor reassured us. "Please remain in your seats while I check!"

The side door opened for him. Once he was out, I sighed and released my grip, becoming terribly impatient. Not even a minute later, he came back, screaming something about a demon with a pointy hat.

"Pointy hat?" the princess repeated, making brief eye contact with Steiner. They both stood up and hurried out, nearly knocking over the conductor.

"Let's go," Marcus said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out with him. I hardly had time to grab my sword before I was yanked.

"What's going on?"

The bright sunlight forced me to squint my eyes, but I became confused when a Black Mage that looked similar to Vivi stood facing the princess, twitching robotically. It seemed broken.

"Mission…retrieve…princess…alive," it mumbled in monotone.

"Isn't that the one we saw on the cargo ship?" the princess asked Steiner.

Steiner, however, was too focused on the mage to pay attention to her question. His sword was pointed toward it dangerously. "Monster!" he taunted. "I'll kill you this time!"

"Wait, Steiner!" Garnet yelled, then to the mage: "Tell me something! Why do you want to capture me?"

"Mission…retrieve…princess…alive."

"It doesn't understand," I told her, my sweating hands holding the sword tighter. The Black Mage's yellow eyes turned toward me for a moment. I realized they were different than Vivi's eyes. At least his eyes had some sort of emotion to them. These eyes staring at me now were bland.

"Eliminate…all!"

It leapt toward me and gave me just enough time to sloppily roll out of the way before it swung its staff. Marcus and Steiner ran at it, both slashing their swords into its body. Princess Garnet ran to me, pulling me off the ground.

"Thanks, Princess," I whispered, trying to steady my shaking hands.

"Call me Dagger."

Dagger? Where the heck did that name come from?

"Sori, move!" Marcus called to me, drawing me from my thoughts. I brought my head up to see the mage lunging at me.

Without having a spare second to think, I grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands and held it over my head, stabbing the blade into the mage's skull as soon as it got close. It twitched violently before falling to the ground and becoming completely still.

"Damn," Marcus mumbled, walking toward me. "I never knew you were such a beast with a sword."

Steiner hurried past me to stand in front of Dagger, who was staring at the lifeless mage in front of me. "What did it want with me?" she whispered, looking at the knight for some sort of answer.

"Princess…"

Marcus sheathed his sword and kicked the mage to the side, patting me on the shoulder. "Burmecia was attacked by an army of Black Mage soldiers," he informed Dagger.

"I know."

"Those mages wiped out the people of Burmecia."

"Who would do such a thing?" Steiner questioned loudly, shaking his head. The look on Marcus' face scared even me. He stood right in front of him, and even though he was a bit shorter, he seemed to intimidate him.

"Are you serious? How ignorant can you be?" he yelled. Before Marcus had the change to ready himself to attack, I grabbed onto his arm as tightly as I could and tried to drag him away. He didn't move at all.

"What do you mean?" Steiner retorted.

"Steiner, stop it," Dagger whispered, barely loud enough for any of us to hear. "I know who did it."

"Princess?"

Without responding to him, she started toward the cable car. "We're almost in Alexandria. I must go see my mother…She'll listen to me."

We took our seats on the car in silence. Steiner sat away from us like before, and Dagger, Marcus, and I crowded into one corner. I watched Marcus, wondering how he knew about the attack. I'd been with him almost the whole time since Evil Forest.

I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes, letting the car's engine lull me into half-sleep. When Dagger placed a hand on my arm, I gasped and my eyes shot open.

"Sori?" she mumbled, looking at me to make sure I was awake.

"Uh-huh?" I raised my arms over my head to stretch, making a whining noise as I did. "Are we there?" I glanced at Marcus, who was relaxed in his seat, his head tilted back. A trail of drool was flowing down his chin.

"Not quite. I just wanted to apologize." She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them. "While you were sleeping, Marcus told me how close you and Blank were. I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to him. He did it to save me."

I watched her for a long while. She didn't lift her gaze once, even when Steiner snorted in his sleep. "I don't blame you for it," I finally told her. "When we were little, Blank saved my life. You know those burn scars all over his body? He got those from saving me from my burning house. He's always been like that: putting others before himself. Nobody blames you, especially not me."

"South Gate! South Gate!" the conductor called out, waking both Marcus and Steiner up. I tried to hold back laughter as they both made the same groaning noise and stretched before standing up.

Dagger and I stood up and followed them off the cable car. As we walked off, the conductor wished us luck and told us to take right path to reach Treno. I grinned at the small travel idols on the side of the path, reminiscing on the days when Blank and I would try to make them. They always turned out looking like ugly goblins, though. Mother always kept them, saying how proud she was of us.

_Oh, Blank,_ I thought. _How could you think Mother would ever think any less of you, no matter what you did?_

My stomach twisted in nerves as we approached the large city. The bright blue sky suddenly turned dark and menacing. Marcus laughed at my worried expression.

"Don't worry, Sori. Treno is like that. It only gets about two hours of sunlight a day. See all those mountains surrounding it?"

"Uh-huh."

"They block out the sun for most of the day."

Twenty-two hours of darkness everyday sounded wonderful. If I had lived in Treno, it would have been possible for me to sleep all day.

A metal gate was opened by two lethargic guards. They welcomed us lazily and returned to their posts. I'm pretty sure one of them fell right to sleep.

"Princess," Steiner said, "this is Treno, the City of Nobles."

"We need to find out which noble has the Supersoft."

Why was Dagger looking for the same item? Was she intent on helping us, as a payback for being saved by Blank?

Like before, Marcus and Steiner entered an argument. I mentally groaned and moved away from them just as Steiner yelled something about people like us turning the place into a slum.

"Shall we go search for it ourselves?" Dagger asked.

"Yeah, let's go," I said without hesitation.

(!)(!)(!)

After a long while, we found ourselves at the auction house. People gathered around the podium, shouting amounts of money to the auctioneer. As the prices grew, I felt more and more terrible about myself. There was no way I'd ever be able to have that much money.

"Who is that?" Dagger whispered from beside me. I tore my attention away from the crowd to see her staring up at a person on the balcony. He had long white hair and expensive-looking clothes and jewelry on.

"Princess!" Steiner shouted from over the people. "Thank goodness I found you!"

She rolled her eyes and we turned to face him. "How can I find the Supersoft when I keep having to listen to your complaints?" she snapped. Both Steiner and I were shocked at her sudden attitude. "I don't think its here anyway. Where's Marcus?"

"I do not know."

"Maybe Marcus found it already. Are you coming? I'm going, with or without you."

"I-I shall follow you!"

Steiner and I followed behind Dagger, who gave the balcony one last glance. We stood outside the large double doors until Steiner suggested searching near the inn he passed on his way to us. It wasn't far away, but the tension between the two made the journey seem like it took hours.

On our way, a group of six or seven children ran past us, chasing a stray dog. One of the boys in the group tripped over his own feet and fell on the brick walkway, calling out for the others. The only one who acknowledged him was a girl who was much smaller than him. She ran back and grabbed onto his hand, helping him onto his bottom. After seeing a scratch on his knee, she leaned down and kissed it.

"There," she said, pulling him to his feet. "All better." The feeling of longing hitting my gut hard, I watched them run to the others hand-in-hand.

When we finally made it to the inn, Steiner held the door open for Dagger, but pushed his way in front of me when I tried to walk in. I glared at his back, imagining shoving my sword through his armor. The innkeeper, who was sitting in a wooden chair next to the door, nodded to me.

"We're ready to get the Supersoft!" Marcus called from downstairs, peeking up from the staircase. As revenge, I ran to Steiner and ducked under his arm, lunging sideways to push him out of the way.

"Filth!" he cried out, steadying himself quickly to save the embarrassment. I turned to face him and stuck my tongue out at him.

"When do we leave?" Dagger asked, ignoring the commotion I'd caused.

Marcus grinned at her. "You're really coming, huh? Well, right away, if you'd like. The boss is waiting at the dock."

"Boss?" she repeated, slightly confused.

"Baku," I told her.

She moved past us and started her way down the improvised stairs and ladders, Steiner hot on her tail. Marcus and I moved slower then them to save ourselves from any injuries.

"So, how'd you find out about the attack on Burmecia?" I questioned him, narrowing my eyes to see in the dim light.

"Before I found you near your old house when we were in Dali, I'd overheard a storekeeper talk about it. He said he wasn't pleased with Dali being a supplier of the Black Mages. I guess the whole quiet town persona is just a cover."

We fell into a silence then. I could only hear the water below us and the creaking of all the boards we stepped on. Soon after, Steiner's obnoxious voice broke the peacefulness.

"Don't you talk back to me! I am escorting the princess-"

"I thought you might've changed after travelin' with Zidane, but you ain't changed. Do you even know why you're here?" Baku retorted. He wasn't the kind of man to take crap from anyone.

When Marcus and I came into view, Dagger sighed in relief and jumped onto a small boat. "Let's just go, okay?"

Once we had piled onto the boat, Baku shoved us off, giving a nonchalant wave before climbing back up to the inn. Steiner questioned Dagger for the eighth time if she truly wanted to stoop so low as to steal the item, but she just stared straight ahead, lost in her own thoughts.

I leaned over the side of the boat, watching my reflection ripple against the surface of the boat. Closing my eyes, I allowed my mind to drift to Blank once again. I wondered what he was thinking about, if he could think.

"Where exactly are we going?" I whispered to Marcus.

"We're breaking into a store. We're almost there. See the dock?"

Everyone inhaled deeply when the boat crashed against the stone dock, making a loud echoing noise throughout the waterway. We waited for anyone to come down, but after three minutes of silence, we hurried to get off and file through a small door.

Heaps of boxes and books filled the tiny room. Some were knocked over, creating a mess of papers and potions on the ground. Steiner was the first to sneeze, due to the dust that covered almost everything.

"How are we going to find it?" I whispered, opening one of the boxes, only to discover an oversized dead spider sprawled out.

"Just keep looking."

All our heads popped up from the mountain of clutter when a hallway light turned on and a wheezing cough. Before I had time to think, Steiner grabbed the bag on my back and yanked me toward him as he huddled into a dark corner. Dagger, who was in the corner opposite of us with Marcus, and I exchanged panicked glances.

"Oh, I can't believe I ran out of ink on a night like this. I must find more ink and go back to the observatory." The fragile, old voice seemed to be creeping closer to us, but for some reason, Dagger was smiling.

"Should I take care of him?" Marcus asked her.

"No," she replied, not even trying to hush her voice. She moved from her hiding spot and Steiner and I peeked out from behind a box to watch her. She bowed to the short man, who held a lit candle in his shaking hand. "I missed you, Doctor Tot."

Steiner gasped as Doctor Tot greeted Dagger, pushing me to the side and standing up himself. "Doctor Tot?"

Marcus hurried to my side and lifted me off the ground, shaking his head at Steiner. "You know him?"

"Doctor Tot is the highly respected scholar who tutored the princess!" he snapped back at us as if we should have known that little fact.

Doctor Tot waved his free hand in a way that told us to talk quieter. "You must be quiet, or you'll wake the

shopkeeper. But, Princess, what on earth are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, but we're looking for Supersoft right now."

"There is a proper reason for this!" Steiner rambled on quickly. "We are not here to steal, or commit any form of crime-"

"Is someone there?" another voice from the hallway called. Everyone seemed to stop breathing.

Doctor Tot moved swiftly, pushing the four of us back to where we came. Softly, he said, "Run along! I will give you Supersoft later. Go left from the Treno entrance, and continue until you find a large tower. The tower is my home. It's locked, but I shall unlock the door and await your arrival."

Before we had the change to thank him, he shut the door we entered from. We didn't stand around to converse about anything that had just happened. We hurried onto the boat and drifted back to the inn.

(!)(!)(!)

"This must be it," Dagger said as we approached a tall tower with a single wooden door leading into it several hours later. Most of the kids who had been running around were either sleeping in their houses or on the street.

Avoiding drawing attention, we opened the door and slipped in, jogging up the spiral staircase. By the time we reached the top, Steiner sounded as if he was dying from lack of air.

"Princess!" Doctor Tot exclaimed, turning to look at us. "Thank you all for coming. Welcome to my humble abode."

I felt claustrophobic in the tiny circular room. A huge globe with a hole in the middle took up most of the space. It was surrounded by mounds of old, dusty books, just like in the shop. Below the ladder leading up to the globe, a simple bed stood, also covered in books.

"This is your home?" Dagger questioned with a hint of doubt in her voice. Like the rest of us, she had been gazing around, too.

"Find the Supersoft," Marcus hissed to me while the doctor and Dagger found themselves in their own conversation. I inched toward a wooden box, fumbling my fingers on the golden lock, looking for any sort of crack in it.

"Will you two stop snooping around for five minutes?" Steiner snapped at us, obviously noticing our plan. "Damn thieves."

Instead of becoming angry like I'd expected, Doctor Tot only chuckled to himself and tossed a small key to me. "It's in that box you're touching. Go ahead and take it."

My hands shook as I shoved the key into the hole, twisting it so hard that the key almost broke. Once the box was open, I grabbed the vial of violet fluid and held it tight to my chest. "Blank…"

(!)(!)(!)

"_Sori, is it?" The boy who was standing in front of me had his arms crossed over his chest pompously. He was very tanned, with a single sharp tooth sticking out from his bottom row of teeth. _

"_Um, y-yes," I replied, trying to calm my shaking body. The cut on my leg still stung, even though it had been tended to hours ago. _

"_The boss wants to see you."_

_I hopped off the bed and followed him down the ladder. He led me to the bulky man who had carried me the entire way to safety and sat in a chair next to him. My eyes settled on Blank, who had been bandaged. He was sitting on the man's other side, his uncovered eye watching me carefully._

"_Blank's put in a request for you to join our little band of merry men," the man informed me, an entertained smirk planted on his face._

"_And woman!" Ruby's voice rang out from the corner, where she was disposing of the bloodied materials._

_The other boy huffed loudly. "I don't think she deserves it. She couldn't even save herself. Look at what happened to Blank because of her. Did you hear him screaming when Ruby was scraping off the burned ski-"_

"_MARCUS, SHUT UP!" Blank roared, grabbing a nearby cup with his uninjured hand and hurling it at the boy's head. The boss-man caught it, though, before it did any damage._

"_Marcus, quit puttin' in your opinions," he scowled, watching the tears I thought had dried up run down my face. "Sori, huh?"_

"_Y-Yes, sir," I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. I suddenly felt extremely cold._

"_Parents burned up in that house, didn't they?"_

"…_Yes."_

_The man leaned back in the chair, never taking his eyes from me. "Right," he mumbled. "I guess we could use another girly 'round here. Ruby needs help cleanin'. As long as you promise to take care of my boys. You got that?" Blank smiled, even though he was in serious pain. _

"_Yes, sir," I replied quickly, bowing slightly to him. "I promise, sir."_

"_And stop with that 'sir' crap."_

(!)(!)(!)

"Where did you find this globe?" Dagger questioned Doctor Tot. She had already climbed the ladder and was walking around the sphere, touching it delicately.

"It's an antique. It's broken, as you can see, but I use it as an observation deck. Ironic, isn't it? Looking up at the sky from inside a globe," Doctor Tot replied, following her from up the ladder.

While listening to Dagger explain everything that was happening to Tot, I watched Marcus scan around the room, looking for any other valuables that could be easily stolen. I frowned, thinking how guilty I would feel if we filched anything more than what we needed. The Supersoft felt abnormally heavy in my bag.

"It may be dangerous," Doctor Tot mumbled, strolling over to a metal half-dome right of the globe. "However, I shall see to it that you reach Alexandria."

"How?" Dagger and Steiner questioned simultaneously.

Looking as proud as ever, the short man lifted the hatch, revealing a metal ladder leading down to a tunnel. "I had an old transportation device remodeled incase of such emergency. This way, please."

I turned to Marcus. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going with them."

"What?" Steiner barked. "Why?"

"We can reach Blank more easily from Alexandria. Sure, there's a bit of mountain falling, but it's faster than getting there from Treno."

Feeling another fight coming on, I desperately glanced at Dagger, who nodded to me and mentioned for me to follow her down the ladder. I moved past the two men and hurried after her. After me, Doctor Tot followed in suit, informing us of the tunnel when we reached the bottom.

"This is Gargan Roo, an ancient travel route between Treno and Alexandria."

Gargan Roo was strangely cold and uncomfortable. Other than the platform we were standing on, there was darkness down both ends of the passageway.

Arguing all the way down, Marcus and Steiner finally arrived. To break up the dispute, Doctor Tot pulled Steiner into his conversation with Dagger. Something about how long Gargan Roo had been around.

"Do you think getting to Evil Forest will be easy?" I whispered to Marcus. He arrogantly nodded, watching a spider crawl down from a huge spider web in the corner.

"Oh yeah. Once we get to Alexandria, we're ditching these two."

"Princess! Let us find it!" Steiner exclaimed, hurrying away.

"Find what?" I asked Dagger, who had rolled her eyes at her bodyguard.

"A sequence trigger to call the Gargant."

The four of us pursued Steiner, who had found a rusted metal switch. He wrapped both hands around it, using all his body weight to pull it the other way. It creaked loudly and pushed him to his bottom when it finally moved.

"The Gargant has been called inside," Doctor Tot explained. Right after he was finished talking, a strange noise echoed. It sounded almost like the spider-looking monsters I'd fought on my own in Evil Forest.

A gigantic insect crawled past us, hanging upside down from a root of a plant that extended around. On its back, a carriage was tied firmly with comfortable seats on it.

"Now we must halt it. Go pull the feed lever right over there," Doctor Tot instructed, pointing to a small golden handle that read "feed" above it in elegant letters. Marcus hurried and pulled it down. A thicket of green vegetation lowered from an opening in the ceiling. The Gargant stopped to eat.

We gently hopped onto the coach, sitting down very slowly as not to disrupt the beast. "Won't it continue in circles?" Dagger asked.

"No. I'll reverse the connection and let the Gargant out of the station."

Tot and Steiner shook hands, each of them muttering something only the other could hear, before the Gargant finished its meal. It squealed loudly, sending shivers throughout my body. The doctor ran down a nearby hallway as the creature resumed moving.

It wasn't a violent movement, but it wasn't exactly tender either. I slid into Dagger's side, apologizing as I pulled myself away. She only laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

"I've never dreamed of doing anything like this!" she told me, a large smile plastered on her face. In a way, I felt sorry for her. There were so many things I did on a daily basis that she had been stripped of. It was almost like she never had any fun.

But her laughter came to a sudden halt when the Gargant stopped, whimpering in a fearful way. "What's going on?" I asked, standing on my tippy-toes to pat its underbelly.

"Look!" Dagger called, pointing down the tunnel. Without warning, she hopped off and sprinted away.

"Princess!"

Marcus grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me off and toward Steiner and Dagger, who were both standing in front of an enormous snake. It slithered side to side, hissing dangerously at us.

"This is probably the reason why it stopped."

Panic hit me when I realized I had left Blank's sword on the Gargant. Marcus ordered me to stay back before lunging himself at the monster, leaving a gash near its tail. It roared in pain and head butted as a counterattack, leaving Marcus dazed for a few seconds.

I stood by nervously, pacing back and forth as Steiner and Marcus sliced the monster and Dagger healed them whenever they got hurt. I considered running back to get my weapon, but I didn't want to leave them.

Bloodied and beaten, the monster finally gave up, realizing that if it kept fighting, it would be killed, and slinked away into the darkness. Without a single word from the men, we returned to the Gargant, which continued crawling. The looks on their faces made me incredibly uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with you two?" I asked.

"It got away," Marcus mumbled, his mouth cupped in his palm.

"Real men don't allow vile creatures to escape," Steiner added.

Dagger sighed. "You shouldn't let a blow to your egos affect you. Look, we're here anyway. If we would have stayed any longer to kill it, it might have been too late."

The Gargant stopped at another platform that looked exactly like the one in Treno. Keeping a firm hold on the sword, I jumped onto the brick surface and followed the three through a corridor.

We entered a large room with stairs leading up to an arena-looking area with two large barriers on each side. As soon as we passed through, it became difficult to breathe, like someone was sitting on my stomach.

"Is this really Alexandria?" Marcus questioned, looking around at the dungeon atmosphere.

"Well, it must be!"

"How do we get out?"

At the top of the stairs, we stopped walking. Steiner glanced around nervously. It was apparent that he had never seen this part of the castle before, which greatly worried me.

"Hm…Well, this way! Princess, let us make haste!"

He started running toward another set of stairs he had seen, but when he reached a certain part of the arena, a chain gate sprung up, blocking his path. He immediately turned to Marcus and me, pointing an accusing finger.

"You two! What kind of trick is this?" he demanded. My mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?" I screeched. "This is _your_ castle! We didn't set this up!"

"You really didn't do anything?"

"You don't believe us?" Marcus defended.

"Go back the other way! My ancestors built these traps to keep enemies from invading!" Dagger warned us, turning back around. But as soon as she did, an identical fence shot up, trapping us in. Yelling in frustration, Steiner grabbed onto the metal and tried to shake it down.

"They fell for it!" a high-pitched and _very _annoying voice echoed. I looked up to the top of one of the barriers to see a small man (or child. He looked like he could be either one) dressed in a blue jester's uniform with matching blue makeup lines over his eyes.

"Fell for it, they did!" an identical voice repeated. On the opposite barrier, another jester appeared, but dressed in red.

Steiner growled, raising a fist to the blue one. "Zorn! Thorn! I am Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto! I have returned! Let us out at once!"

Thorn, the red one, laughed. "Too bad, it is."

"You're all under arrest!" Zorn informed us.

"Under arrest?" I repeated. "No! We didn't do anything!"

Dagger waved to me to be quiet and stepped forward. "Zorn! Thorn!" she addressed with a royal tone in her voice. "I've returned to Alexandria to speak with my mother. Take me to her!"

Zorn nodded, putting on an innocent mask. "Yes, we will take you to see Queen Brahne," he said in a singsong way, "whether you like it or not!"

"'Capture Princess Garnet!' Queen Brahne said," Thorn added, failing at his impersonation of the queen. His didn't make his voice deep enough. "Ordered us, she did."

All four of our mouths hit the floor. Tears welled up in Dagger's eyes and she placed a hand over her mouth. "What…?"

"Lies! The queen would never!" Steiner objected, shaking in anger.

I grabbed onto Marcus' shoulders, trying not to shake him. "I don't know what's going on, Marcus!"


	4. Finally

"I can't believe this. I absolutely can't believe this," I repeated, pacing back and forth in the cage they had imprisoned us in. What I was really trying to do was distract myself from the thought of being dangled in a metal cage from what seemed like the tallest ceiling in the entire castle.

"How dare they detain us like this?" Steiner roared, trying to bend the bars. He was obviously failing pathetically. "Those wretched court jesters! Zorn and Thorn will never get away with this!"

I shut my eyes tightly, leaning my forehead against the cold bars, trying my hardest not to cry. We were _so_ close to saving Blank. I couldn't believe something as simple as those ugly little clowns stopped us.

"I can't believe we got dragged into this, Sori," Marcus mumbled to me. Steiner heard him, though, and raised a fist to his face.

"No one asked you to meddle into our affairs!"

"You guys, please stop…"

"It's pretty sad, getting backstabbed by your own queen."

"Please don't argue right now…"

"This is all some kind of mistake! I know the queen! She would never betray me!"

"STOP!" I exploded, the tears being forced from my eyes. "Stop arguing all the damn time! Stop acting like you're both five! Just _stop_!"

They both stared at me, shocked, for a moment before becoming silent and entering their own thoughts. I leaned back, struggling to find a comfortable position. Everything felt hard and all I felt like doing was sleeping.

"I'm hungry," Marcus complained a short while later.

Steiner stood, once again grabbing at the bars. "The time has come to escape!" he told us, giving the impression that he had a plan.

"How?"

"I…don't know," he admitted, shooting my hopes down. I rolled my eyes and focused on a lone soldier walking his rounds.

"I have an idea," Marcus said, standing up and moving to the opposite end of the cage as Steiner. "Sori, I need you to run back and forth between us to make the cage swing."

Doubting the success of this plan, I stood up and did as Marcus told me, running back and forth whenever he said "right" or "left." It felt as if I had ran for an hour and by the time we came close to the balcony, I was gasping for breath.

"Once more!"

I pushed myself to run back to Steiner's side, only to attempt to scream when the cage smashed into the balcony, breaking enough bars for us to squeeze through. Steiner grabbed my arm and hoisted me up when he saw I was having trouble climbing over the rubble.

"Halt!" a soldier called as he ran toward us.

Marcus scoffed immodestly and shoulder-checked the armored man, sending him flying over the edge of the balcony. The crunch that sounded a few seconds later sent chills down my spine, but I didn't have time to stop and be upset over it. We had already reached a tall ladder and Steiner forced me up the chilly bars.

By the time we reached the spiral staircase, I felt as if I was going to die. Since we escaped from the cage, I didn't have the chance to catch my breath.

"Princess!" Steiner called out when we reached the top. It seemed to have been a trap staircase in the floor.

"Come on, Sori. We're done here," Marcus said, walking away.

"Marcus…wait," I whispered, struggling to get air into my lungs. "I'm going…to die."

At the end of the long hallway he had ran down, I decided we were going to stop before something really did happen to me. I leaned against the brick wall, clutching my chest and gasping heavily. From the room we had just come from, a low hum of talking could be heard. The voices sounded almost familiar.

"Marcus?" Zidane exclaimed as his party rounded the corner. Marcus peeked down the corridor and motioned for me to scoot to the side.

"Watch out. I'm closing the gate."

I hadn't realized it, but I had leaned against a lever that controlled a barrier. Once Marcus pulled it, two Alexandrian soldiers that were chasing Zidane and his group were stranded.

"What are you two doing here?" Zidane asked, watching me carefully. "Why is Sori dying?"

"She's been running nonstop for a while," Marcus explained. "We're going to save Blank."

"Good luck! We're going to find Dagger!"

Soon after they left, I was finally able to breathe normally again. Marcus didn't hesitate to get a firm grasp on my wrist and pull me toward the exit gate of the kingdom.

(!)(!)(!)

Getting back into Evil Forest was _much_ harder than finding our way out before. The mountain we'd climbed down felt like the highest peak in the entire world and I admit to crying most of the way down. Because most of the forest was petrified, finding an entrance was both frustrating and intricate.

"Blank," I whispered once we finally got in. We stopped in front of what looked like a very detailed statue.

Blank had been posed in his struggling position in the grip of the monsters that were half-plant half-spider. I slowly reached up to touch his stone leg, tears springing to my eyes. He was right there in front of me. Finally.

"Sori, throw the Supersoft on him," Marcus ordered.

I nodded and kneeled down, placing my bag on the ground. My hands were shaking so badly that I was scared I would drop the vial of Supersoft once I found it. My eyes settled on Blank's cloth I'd wrapped around my wrist earlier.

My hands snaked around the glass bottle and I twisted the top off, sighing softly before tossing the liquid onto Blank's figure. It let out a hissing sound and steam rose up toward the sky. Marcus and I watched as Blank's overall grey color turned to the tanned tone of his skin and the scarlet tint of his hair.

He made an "oomph" sound as he fell from the monster's clutches and into mine and Marcus' arms. We caught him clumsily, but I was just glad we didn't let him smack into the ground. Very slowly, we steadied him on his feet. I didn't remove my arms from around his waist.

"I think I'm okay," Blank mumbled, working his jaw around. My stomach fluttered uncontrollably at the sound of his voice. It felt like it had been ages since I'd heard it last.

"We should get you to Lindblum," Marcus suggested.

"You take him back," I told him, bouncing my right leg nervously. "I'm going back to Alexandria. I feel like I owe it to Dagger to help save her."

"Dagger?" Blank questioned.

"You owe it to her?" Marcus repeated. "For what? We were the ones saving her ass the whole time."

"If it weren't for her, there's no way we would've been able to get the Supersoft to save Blank."

"Who's Dagger?" Blank asked.

"Ugh, fine," Marcus groaned. "But after she's all safe and sound, we're taking him to Lindblum, got it?"

Before I could answer, Blank placed his hand over my mouth. I closed my eyes for a moment and leaned my cheek into it. "Will someone please tell me who Dagger is?"

"The princess," Marcus explained.

"Got it. Let's go save her."

Marcus nodded and took off running back the way we came, leaving Blank and me alone. I opened my eyes, still resting my cheek in his palm, and looked up at him. He smiled down at me and placed his forehead on mine, uncovering my mouth.

"Thank you, Sori." And with that, he pressed his lips to mine for the second time since we were little.

That's right. Blank had been my very first kiss.

(!)(!)(!)

The castle was in pure chaos when we returned. Soldiers were running about, shouting orders to each other to find the intruders. Without an idea of where to go, Marcus suggested going back to the place we'd been trapped, to see if anyone else had made our same mistake.

Avoiding all the Alexandrian soldiers was the hardest part. It seemed as if they were multiplying faster than we could run. At one point, Blank had knocked one unconscious. Much to my dismay, the sword I'd been carrying around the whole time had been dropped somewhere, so I was of no use.

After about an hour of hiding, running, and then hiding again, we reached the trap room. Zorn and Thorn were standing at their places like before, taunting a group of people who were ensnared.

"I'll go around to the other side," Marcus whispered and ran down a dark hallway. We listened to the two jesters until we saw Marcus appear on the other side. Once he nodded to us, Blank grabbed my hand and ran at Zorn. "Hey, what's up?" Marcus yelled, kicking Thorn down.

"Zidane!" Blank called, doing the same to Zorn. "Are you guys okay?"

"Blank!" Zidane replied happily, a smile growing on his bloodied face. Vivi waved to us. I pointed to a lever on Marcus' side, and he flipped it, releasing the gate.

"The Gargant is probably still there," I told Dagger, who looked like she had been crying.

"Man, I love you guys!" Zidane said. The three of us beamed.

"Get out of here! There are probably more bad guys coming!"

They didn't argue before running to the Gargant. Beside me, Blank exhaled and released my hand, jumping off the balcony to the floor below. Then, he turned back around and extended his arms out.

"Jump!"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pushing my body off. The fall didn't feel long at all. Within three seconds, I had landed in Blank's arms. Thankfully, he didn't drop me.

I gasped, looking down the path Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi had just run down. "Where's Steiner?" I whispered. "He's probably still back there."

"Let's go!" Marcus called. He was already on the same floor as us, and took the first chance he had to run up the stairs we were headed for before.

(!)(!)(!)

"Steiner!" I called, hurrying to a group of wounded people lying on the ground. We must have been in a tower, because I couldn't see the ceiling when I looked up.

He was with two females. One of them wasn't human; she was a rat. I figured she was from Burmecia and then it clicked as to why she was here in Alexandria Castle. She must have been going after the queen for revenge. The other, a very well dressed knight, I recognized from pictures around the kingdom that we had passed. Large boards of Queen Brahne stood proudly about on the streets, and in every picture, this woman was standing next to her.

"Back!" the rat-woman commanded of Blank, Marcus, and me, weakly lifting a hefty spear.

"Freya, wait," Steiner told her. "They are no enemies of us. Marcus, please help Beatrix."

Marcus rushed to the female knight's side to see she had been knocked out. He lifted her in his arms and I grabbed Freya, holding her up so she could walk on her own. She reeked of blood.

"Where are we going to take them?" Blank asked, holding Steiner up.

"Lindblum is the only place we can go."

(!)(!)(!)

"No…"

Lindblum had been destroyed. Sure, it still stood, but barely. Alexandrian soldiers patrolled while orphans cried on the side of the streets and the injured waited in silence to die.

"What has happened?" Freya whispered. "How many kingdoms will she conquer before she is satisfied?"

"We need to see if the hideout is still standing," Blank said, moving toward the air cab.

Once we had settled on, Marcus gently placed Beatrix on the seat. Her head slowly fell to the side and her brown hair covered her face. Steiner kept his gaze on her the entire time.

Blank stared out the window, looking at all the ruin as we passed it. I had sat next to him, so close that we were almost touching. Without turning to look at me, he reached over and grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. I glanced at Marcus, who smirked to me.

"Stopping!" the conductor called in a weak voice. It was easy to tell what he was thinking. He was just glad the air cabs weren't affected. The only change was that the Industrial District had been completely wiped out.

Marcus flexed his arm muscles and went to grab Beatrix, but Steiner held out an arm in front of him. "Allow me," he requested, carefully picking his partner up.

"Are you sure you can carry her?"

"Yes."

I grabbed onto Freya, letting her wrap her arm around my neck and lean on my shoulders as we hobbled toward the hideout. Thankfully, it hadn't been too badly damaged. Benero and Zenero were already outside, repairing the place.

"Cinna!" Blank shouted. "Get out here and help!"

Cinna hurried out, staring at Blank for a moment. "I'll prepare some more beds." Before running back in, he and Blank hugged in a way that always made me laugh. It was more like a quick chest-bump, as if they were embarrassed. But I couldn't laugh this time.

After Beatrix, Freya, and Steiner had been settled in, I sat at the table, watching them sleep. In my mind, I tried to remember the last time I had slept. Was it in Dali? I couldn't remember.

"Sori," Blank said, standing near the ladder that led to the beds. I turned my attention to him, a warm feeling growing in my stomach. Other than the wounded kingdom, everything felt normal.

He motioned for me to follow him and climbed up the ladder. I stood up from the table and did as he wanted. Once I was at the top of the ladder, he was lying on the closest bed, his headband thrown down next to the bed. I lay next to him and he pulled me onto his chest the way he did when I had bad dreams.

We remained there in silence. I thought Blank had fallen asleep, but then he suddenly spoke up. "Things are getting really bad." I noticed his hand was rested on the cloth on my wrist.

"I know."

"Even though Zidane isn't in Tantalus anymore, he's going to need our help."

"I know," I repeated. Where was he going with this?

"I don't want you to get involved in anything."

My head shot up off his chest. "Excuse me?"

He turned his head to the side to look at me. "You've already been put in enough danger trying to save me. I mean, I appreciate it, but you went through too much crap."

I sat up on the bed and glanced down at the floor below. Cinna was running back and forth between fixing the outside of the building and tending to the three injured. Marcus was sitting at the table, shoveling food down his throat. He looked up at me and waved. I grinned at him.

"You know, Blank," I said, turning back to the redhead, "so many things have happened while you were gone. I've fought monsters and rode on a cable car and snuck into a shop to steal things. Even Marcus and I are sort of friends now. I've done so many things I'd never thought I'd be able to without your help, but I did them without you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to worry about me anymore."

Blank stared at me for a long time. He wrapped a few strands of my hair around his fingers and played with them. I began to wonder if he even heard a word I said.

"I guess you're right," he finally responded, gently pulling me back down onto him. "But whether you like it or not, I'm going to worry about you. A ten-year habit is hard to kick, but I don't want to."

I focused on his heartbeat, enjoying the rhythmic pulsation. "Blank," I mumbled, half-asleep, "what was it like, being petrified?"

"It honestly felt like a dream, like I wasn't really there, but I heard everything. The silence almost drove me crazy…" His voice faded off as I slipped off into sleep.

_Everything is going to be okay now._

(!)(!)(!)

Within two weeks, things fell back into the normal routine. We fixed up the three knights as best we could, and then left them to recover naturally. However, once news of Queen Brahne's death reached Lindblum, the three of them left in a hurry. I could understand why Beatrix and Steiner left, but I wasn't sure why Freya did.

It had _almost_ felt like Blank had never been gone. Everyone treated him the same because he treated everyone else the same. He seemed to have forgotten the kiss we shared back in Evil Forest, which made me terribly disappointed.

Actually, he acted very strangely around me. I wanted to say he was ignoring me, but that wasn't entirely true. He acknowledged my existence with a small nod or wave, or if I was lucky, he'd say, "Hi, Sori" when we walked past each other. But that was it. He didn't even sleep in the same bed as me, which was odd.

"What's going on with you and Blank?" Marcus asked on a day that Blank was out in the town. He never told anyone where he went.

"I don't even know," I said, feeling my shoulders slump. "I thought everything would go back to normal once he came back, but he acts like he's mad at me. He doesn't even try to talk to me anymore."

"Have you asked him about it-"

Baku interrupted him, however, as he walked in. Blank stood at his side, looking proud. "Get your asses up and get ready! We're goin' to Alexandria!"

Blank didn't even look at me as they left the hideout. I sighed and turned to Marcus. "I guess it doesn't matter."

(!)(!)(!)

"Sori!"

"Ruby!"

We caught each other in a hug as the Tantalus boys and I crowded into a bar in Alexandria. They all surrounded a very depressed Zidane, who was sitting at a table, his head in his arms.

Once Ruby and I broke away, she turned to Zidane. I sat in a chair next to him, noticing his tail was drooped onto the floor. That wasn't normal for him.

"We ain't seen each other in ages!" Ruby told him. "Why the sour face, partner?"

Marcus grinned and patted Zidane's shoulder. "What happened, man? Did that Dagger chick dump you?"

Zidane tore his shoulder away from Marcus in a quick jerking motion. Cinna nodded. "That's it."

"This ain't like you at all, Zidane!" Ruby commented. Zidane only buried his face deeper into his arms. Cinna walked toward Ruby, standing in front of her and the disheartened man.

"I heard you started a mini-theater. Is it any good?"

"Of course! My plays are a hit!"

"Let's go watch," Blank suggested, walking past me. I sighed softly and watched them pile out of the bar.

"Hey, Zidane," I mumbled, patting his arm. "I know what you're going through. It'll be okay."

"Thanks."

I bent down and grabbed his tail, gently tossing it into the air and catching back in my palm. "Please don't make your tail sad, either." After a moment, his tail lifted from my hands and curled. I smiled and rubbed his back, standing from the chair.

I decided not to follow everyone to Ruby's mini-theater. Walking along the streets, I pushed Blank far from my thoughts. If he was going to treat me like that, I wasn't going to waste my energy thinking about him all the time.

The people of Alexandria were friendly. They waved to me as I passed, even though I was dressed like a common thief. One woman even offered me part of the food she had just cooked.

When my feet began to hurt from walking around so much, I headed back toward the bar, only to find the Tantalus group surrounding the window, listening intently. I joined them to hear Zidane talking to himself.

"…cozy on your throne already? No!" He banged on the table with his fist. "No, no, no! I can't start my day without Dagger!"

I glanced up toward Blank, who had turned to watch me. My heart felt as if it was squeezing itself in pain. It just wasn't fair, the way he was acting.

"Her smile! Her voice! Her voice is like a beautiful song…And her song makes me soar high into the sky! But now…"

Ruby made a huffing noise and ran in, followed by the rest of us. We surrounded him as we did before. "You can still fly high, darlin'!" she encouraged him. "You can do it!"

"She's right!" Cinna agreed. I nodded to him.

"Why are you still moping?" Blank asked. For a moment, I thought he was talking to me. "This isn't like you at all!"

"Stop it!" Zidane finally replied, standing up and kicking the chair over. "You don't know how I feel!"

He made the movement to leave, but Baku impeded him, shoving him back to the rest of us. "Long time, no see, Zidane! What happened? You look pathetic!"

Zidane stared up at him with a look I'd never seen before. It was anger mixed with determination and…something else I couldn't quite figure out. Tears? No. It wasn't like Zidane to cry.

"Boss! Let me join Tantalus again! We can steal treasure together, just like the old times!" Zidane pleaded, but Baku only turned away.

"Treasure, eh? There ain't much treasure lyin' around in this world, boy. Besides, a Tantalus always gets what he sets his eyes on! That's our rule number one, remember? No, you don't. You got no right to join us. You understand what I'm sayin'? If you can't even capture a canary, you ain't got what it takes to join Tantalus!"

Honestly, if Baku had said that to me, I would have broken down in tears. Tantalus was my life. If I didn't have that group of people, I didn't know what I do.

"Boss…"

The door to the bar opened and Vivi walked in, waving to all of us. He seemed to be perfectly fine, which was a good thing. "Zidane, can we go see Dagger now?" he asked innocently, looking up at Zidane's dejected face.

Baku began to roar in laughter. "Why can't you be more honest, like this little guy?" he questioned, then motioned his hand for all of us to follow him as we walked out.

(!)(!)(!)

The night came very slowly. It seemed whenever we were all in one place, Blank was always on the other side of Baku. I couldn't take much more of it, so I started to leave the inn. But before I left, I found a piece of paper sitting outside my door.

"_When the night sky wears the moon as its pendant, I shall await you at the dock."_

My face suddenly felt very hot and my mouth ran dry. Was this what he was getting at all along? He'd planned all this out?

"Blank…"

(!)(!)(!)

When I arrived at the dock that connected the castle and the rest of the kingdom, I become aware of a small girl sitting by herself. She looked to be around eight or nine. She mumbled Zidane's name a number of times, but when she heard me, she ran behind the dropped area of the stairs.

"Hello?" I called to her, peeking around.

The first thing I noticed about her was the horn sticking out from her mess of purple-colored hair. She stared at me with very wide eyes and I wondered if she wrote that note for me. But who was she?

"Blank, there's probably nobody here," Marcus' voice called. The girl gasped and pulled me to her so that no one could see us in the shadows. "See? I told you."

"I guess I'm early," Blank replied.

"Maybe. I wonder who wrote you that letter."

What? Someone wrote Blank a letter, too? Jealousy swirled in my gut and I wanted to cry.

"Do you think it was Sori?" The sound of his voice saying my name made the crying feeling disappear. "I mean, it didn't look like her handwriting, but she has ways of forging things like that."

"I don't know…"

"It has to be! She was probably just too shy to give it to me herself. That's probably why she's been acting weird lately. I bet she planned all this out."

Man, did Blank and I have the same thought pattern or what? But wait, _I_ was the one acting weird? How?

"Aw," the girl next to me whispered. "That guy and this Sori chick should get together, don't you think?"

I smiled down at her. "I'm Sori."

"Someone's coming! Hide!"

Both the girl and I inhaled deeply when Blank and Marcus hid in the same spot we did, just on the opposite side of the dock. We were easily noticeable to each other and when Blank looked at me, we both grinned stupidly at the same time.

"Right, clear! Left, clear!" Steiner's voice sounded. "Huh? A piece of paper? This looks like a letter."

Blank and Marcus' panicked faces were definitely worth laughing at. They whispered things like, "Idiot! You dropped it!" and "Why did you let me drop it?" and shoved each other.

"M-My goodness!" Steiner exclaimed nervously. "Th-This is a love letter! Who wrote it to whom? Hm…No address or addressee…Did someone drop it here, knowing I would pass by? Who could it have been?"

"Steiner," a new voice said. I recognized the royal tone as Beatrix's.

"Beatrix…was it you?"

The girl and I attempted to hush each other, but the "cute warning" butterflies fluttered about dangerously. "Are they in love?" she asked me.

"I hope so!"

We peeked over the edge of the stairs to watch Beatrix and Steiner move closer to each other. He grabbed her hands and she looked up at his face. I swore their lips touched only a tiny bit before a loud sneeze made them jump away from each other.

"Boss?" Blank, Marcus, and I yelled, running from our hiding spot.

"Oh, you totally ruined the scene!" the girl complained before stomping off. Steiner and Beatrix growled and ran after her, shouting something about her being an intruder.

"Let's go!" Baku ordered us, walking in the same direction. Marcus gave Blank a stern look before following the man.

"Sori," Blank said, grabbing my wrist before I could follow. I stopped and turned to face him. He took a big breath before the words came. "I know we've both been acting weird since you guys saved me and I'm not sure why."

"Its okay. I understand, Blank," I told him, glancing away from his face. "You regret that kiss in Evil Forest. Its fine."

"Wait, what?" He let go of my wrist and allowed it to drop to my side. "Regret it? No, you're wrong. I don't. I definitely don't."

I intertwined my fingers and sighed, not really wanting to be there anymore. I just wanted to go back to Lindblum and plan the next stealing mission. "So, did you write me that note?" I asked.

"No. I thought you wrote it for me."

I shook my head, feeling extremely stupid. I'd been so happy at the thought of Blank writing me something like that. I shouldn't have assumed it.

"But I'm glad things turned out how they did," he continued. "Even though I didn't write it for you, I've been looking for a chance to talk to you in private. For the past few weeks, so many people have been around, constantly checking on me to make sure I'm okay."

"What did you want to talk about?"

Blank grabbed my hands and gently curled them into his. "I…" He looked away for a moment, obviously anxious. "Ever since we were little, I've always looked at you as more than a friend. For the longest time, I couldn't figure it out. I didn't understand why I was so jealous and upset when you went on that date with Lowell, but then I realized it. It was unfair that he was able to treat you like he owned you when I couldn't. I just…I…"

"You what?" My legs were beginning to shake and I just wanted him to hurry up and say it before I collapsed.

He pursed his lips tightly and inhaled slowly. "I love you, Sori."

"Finally," I breathed just before his lips cascaded onto mine.

_Finally…_


	5. Help

Baku had decided to stay in Alexandria for a few more days before heading back to Lindblum, which was fine with me. Blank and I had searched for another inn to stay in, and luckily, we found a cheaper one.

My eyes fluttered open as I finally came to. I knew I had been sleeping much longer than I normally did. It was dark outside. That meant we'd slept through the whole day.

As I sat up, I smirked at the soreness of my body. If I had been sore for any other reason, I would have been complaining about it, but because Blank had been my first, I definitely didn't mind.

Beside me, Blank was still asleep, snoring softly. Because he was sometimes a messy sleeper, the blankets were hanging halfway off him. I chuckled to myself and pulled them back over his naked body just in time for Baku to come busting in. I screamed and covered my chest with the blanket.

"Get dressed!" he ordered. "We're gettin' the hell outta here!"

"What's going o-" Blank started, but a loud explosion interrupted him. Baku left, slamming the door behind him to round up the rest of the group.

Blank shot out of bed, throwing my clothes at me before finding his own. The inn shook violently, making any type of movement difficult. Once we were both dressed, he grabbed my hand and dragged me down to the first floor.

Civilians were running and screaming. Mothers were dragging their children to safety and most of the men were preparing to fight. Some were being chased by large monsters that resembled strange-looking bugs.

"Come on!" Blank yelled over all the people, pulling me through the crowds.

I looked up at the dark sky to see a gigantic dragon fly by, breathing fire on buildings. It seemed to be attempting to destroy the castle. Could it be because of Dagger? Was it because she was the new queen?

"We have to help Dagger!" I called to Blank, pulling him to a stop. "We can't just leave her in the castle!"

"She has soldiers to protect her! We need to get out of here!"

"No!"

"Sori, I'm sorry!" Without warning (and permission), he lifted me up and dangled me over his shoulders, running at full-speed toward the exit to the kingdom. Although he was bouncing me uncomfortably, I was able to watch an airship fly toward the castle and a small body jump from it.

"BLANK!" I screamed, flailing about. "ITS THAT LITTLE GIRL!"

He skidded to a halt and helped me off his shoulder. We stood and watched the castle transform. Beautiful white wings sprouted from the back and circled around itself as protection. Rays of light shot out toward the dragon, which tried to fly away from it in a hurry. But it was no use. The dragon was captured by the rays and they penetrated its body.

"Oh my gosh," I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand. "What is that?"

Another airship came into view. It looked much different than any other I'd seen. Its odd rounded shape and blue color made it seem like it was from another world.

The streets of Alexandria became crowded with people who stopped to watch. The strange ship floated over the castle and a beam of red light slammed into it. The wings that were shielding the castle from destruction began to turn black and seemed to burn away as the citadel started to crumble.

"No!" a woman next to me shouted, falling to her knees. I wanted to help her up, but I felt like I couldn't move. I couldn't even feel Blank's hand holding mine.

"We have to help Dagger!" Blank yelled, running toward the castle.

"Oh, _now_ you agree with me!"

(!)(!)(!)

"Here's one! Hurry!" I called, pointing to an empty escape ship settled at the port of the castle. Blank carried Zidane into it, while Marcus, Cinna, and Baku helped Dagger, the small girl, and Regent Cid onto the boat. Vivi, Freya, and a man with hair that was redder than Blank's also piled on.

The boat ride to Lindblum seemed to take forever. The small girl cried endlessly, while Vivi kept saying, "Its okay, Eiko." Dagger stared into the water and nobody could even talk to her. Regent Cid discussed the next phase of the plan with Baku. Marcus and Cinna kept trying to wake Zidane up, but he remained unconscious.

"Are you hurt?" Blank asked, inspecting my body. I pushed a smile onto my face and nodded, holding back my tears.

"No, I'm okay."

He watched my face for a moment before sighing and pulling me into his chest. I began crying then, but not as loud as Eiko. I only shook a little bit.

Why was all this happening?

(!)(!)(!)

Within two days, we were in Lindblum. Dagger hadn't said a word the entire time. She just stared at Zidane, who wouldn't open his eyes. We carried him into the guest room in Lindblum Castle so he could recover in a bed.

"We're goin' to find the regent," Baku declared with Blank by his side after everyone had ate, thanks to Regent Cid. He had made sure we were fed every second of the day.

"I think I'm going to the hideout," I told him, standing up from the seat. "I miss my bed."

As I walked past the two men, Blank grabbed my hand to stop me, kissing my forehead before I made any more movements. Ever since we made love, we were practically inseparable. Well, more so than before.

Benero, Zenero, and Cinna were the only ones at the hideout when I got there. They waved to me as I walked past, and I returned the greeting. Beside the attack on Alexandria, everything felt perfect.

The bed that Blank and I usually shared felt empty without him in it, but I shrugged it off, reassuring myself that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time. Exhaustion finally hit me. I hadn't slept much in the three days that had passed.

It felt as if I blinked, but when I opened my eyes again, Blank was sitting next to me, looking down at my face. "Hey, there."

"Hi," I mumbled, sitting up slowly. "What's going on?"

"Well, Zidane and his group are on their way to the Black Mage Village to find out what's going on. Regent Cid asked me to pilot the Blue Narciss, so I'll be gone for a while."

I shook my head and jumped off the bed. "Let's go, then." I smirked when he gave me a confused look. "You're kind of stuck with me from now on. Whatever you go, I go."

(!)(!)(!)

The Blue Narciss was a huge ship docked at the port in Lindblum Castle. After Blank and I climbed onboard, his mouth dropped open at all the controls. He began explaining how fast the ship could go and how sharp it could make turns. I just nodded like I knew what he was talking about.

"Man, I hope this thing can get us there," Zidane remarked as his party climbed up from the ladder. Everyone was there: Dagger, Vivi, Eiko, Freya, the man with the red hair, even Steiner.

"Finally, I find you!" a high-pitched voice called. A heavy-built creature climbed onboard behind them and I moved far away from it. Its tongue hung down almost to the wood of the ship and its empty eyes watched Zidane hungrily.

"Quina!" Zidane greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Where you go, Zidane? I travel everywhere, look all over for you!"

"Who's this, Zidane?" Blank teased, smirking to himself. "Your new girlfriend?" I playfully smacked his chest.

"I so tired," Quina continued, ignoring Blank's comment. "From Madain Sari, I climb mountains, cross ocean, fight monsters."

With mock guilt on his face, Zidane shook his head. "Man, you've been through a hell of a trip." He turned to Blank. "So, you two are coming, too?"

"Yeah. I guess Sori is connected to my hip now," he joked, nudging me gently with his elbow. "I was asked to come along."

"By who?"

"The boss, of course. But it wasn't his idea."

"It was mine," a raspy voice said. A frog jumped in the middle of us and my mouth fell open. From the moustache that extended out on both sides of it's face, I could tell it was Regent Cid.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked a little too rudely. His small beady eyes narrowed at me for a short second before returning to the rest of the group.

"I decided it would be best to have at least one person look after the ship once we reached our destination," Cid told them. He hopped onto the side of the ship and I noticed Quina staring at him, a line of drool falling from the oversized tongue.

"Plus, I still owe you guys one," Blank added. "So I volunteered."

Zidane shook his head although a smile was obvious. "Bro, you don't owe us anything."

"Anchors aweigh!" Cid shouted, pointing off in a random direction with a webbed hand. Blank turned to grab onto the large wooden wheel.

"Where exactly is this place?"

"Its on the Outer Continent."

Blank pulled the ship away from the dock as everyone fell into a relaxed state. I sat on the edge, dangling my feet into the water and watching aquatic creatures swim away from the massive intruder I was riding on. Everyone kept a close eye on Vivi, who was leaned over the edge as if he was going to become sick at any moment.

"Do you want me to take over?" I asked, watching Blank yawn from the corner of my eye. He gave me an are-you-kidding-me look.

"Me, trust you with a ship this size? You're crazy," he replied casually. It was probably a good thing he said no, because I had no idea how to control a ship. I was just planning on winging it and hoping everyone survived.

The ride seemed to last for days, but when we finally docked at a sandy area of the region, my legs felt strange. I had been so used to the world moving around me, that when I finally had to walk on a motionless surface, I felt like I was walking in slow-motion.

"We won't be long," Zidane reassured Blank and me as his party walked away from the ship, entering a forest that looked dead. I pictured the Black Mage Village to be pathetically lacking in any sort of life.

I turned around, still sitting on the edge of the ship, and faced the redhead who looked utterly exhausted from the ride. He made his way over to me and rested his head on my chest, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist.

"What's wrong?" I mumbled, playing with his hair. It felt as if he was slowly starting to drop all his dead weight on me.

"I'm tired."

"Well, why don't you go take a nap while they're gone?"

His head tilted up to glower at me. "You better stay on this ship, Sori. If we have to go looking for you when they come back, I'm going to be so infuriated."

I smiled innocently, already making plans to go exploring once he was asleep. "Don't worry. I'll be here."

Blank gave me a quick kiss before heading toward the back of the ship. I waited a whole five minutes before hopping off the same way Zidane did and thinking to myself as where to go first.

I didn't want to go to the Black Mage Village because everyone else was there. To my right, a swamp stood. Small frogs and other amphibians could be seen crawling around it. I decided not to go there either, thinking how I didn't want gross little bugs crawling on my legs as I explored.

About a mile away, I noticed an odd-looking structure. It was a building that had been built on tree roots. Seeing as that was my only remaining option, I hurried to the settlement, avoiding the large birds that roamed the fields. They seemed to be preoccupied with killing small bugs on the ground.

(!)(!)(!)

"Rally-ho!"

I stared at the strange-looking man in front of me, who had just popped out of nowhere and shouted nonsense into my face. I didn't want to say it aloud, but he was probably the ugliest little thing I'd ever seen.

"Um, hi?" I muttered, feeling very out of place.

"Rally-ho!" he repeated, waving a crooked stick near my face. "If ye dinnae say 'rally-ho,' then ye cannae enter Conde Petie!"

"So, that's what this place is," I whispered, looking up toward the top of the building. "Oh, rally-ho then."

"Rally-ho! Ye can pass!"

I strolled past the man and investigated the place. There certainly were a lot of birds and tree roots seemed to invade the place. Everyone was very short and extremely ugly. They each said, "Rally-ho!" to me as I walked past, which I quickly returned.

Eventually, I came to a shop area. The shopkeeper greeted me as everyone else did before I peered over the counter to see what they had. Apparently, these people ate a lot of sweets. I noticed much of the delicacies of Lindblum had been brought here and slightly altered, so I bought as much as I could, soon realizing there was no possible way I could finish it all on my own.

As I sat outside the entrance to Conde Petie, I thought of my options. I could scarf everything down and take the risk of puking it all back up, but I didn't like puking. Then there was the option of taking it all back to the ship and dealing with Blank asking questions. If that happened, he would know I ventured from the ship.

"Oh, well," I muttered to myself, standing up to hurry back. "Maybe if I share, he won't be as angry."

(!)(!)(!)

"You bring yum-yummies!" Quina exclaimed once I returned to the group. Everyone had made it back before I did, which meant I had to face a livid man.

Quina's disgustingly long tongue shot toward me, wrapping around the sweets I held in my arms, and brought it back to it's mouth, devouring it all in one swallow. Regent Cid watched in horror.

"Hey!" I yelled, pointing a finger at it. "That wasn't just for you!"

"I sorry."

"Where are we going, Zidane?" Blank asked in a monotone voice, grabbing onto the wheel of the ship. Zidane stood next to him and raised a finger.

"The eastern side of this continent. Kuja's little hideout is buried under quicksand."

"Got it."

I returned to my usual seat on the side of the ship and watched Blank as he steered the ship. He didn't look at me once. Regret nestled itself in my gut and I chewed on my lip nervously.

Thankfully, the trip to the hideout didn't take as long as the previous trip. I'd passed the time by glaring at Quina and eavesdropping on Cid and Zidane's conversation. They were discussing Dagger's condition and how worried Zidane was that she'd never recover her voice.

Like before, Zidane promised a quick return before everyone left. Blank and I were left alone in silence. I watched him lock the ship's wheel with a large piece of wood, then turn to me.

"So, what did you get me?" he asked sternly.

"Uh," I started, slightly confused, "Quina ate everything, so…"

"Hm."

Blank turned and walked toward the back of the ship. I glanced at the setting sun for a moment before following him. "Its getting dark, Blank. Should we head back to Lindblum for the night and come back in the morning?"

He shook his head and lit a small candle sitting on a wooden shelf. "No," he muttered, as if he had only half-heard what I said. "If they have to come back early, we need to be here." He sat on the small padded bed on the floor and removed his headband. He didn't even look at me as he lay on his side with his back facing me.

"Blank, you're upset with me, aren't you?"

"No."

I made a loud huffing noise and sat next to his body. "Yes, you are. I'm sorry, okay? I got bored waiting around for you to wake up and for them to come back."

He rolled onto his stomach and looked up at my face. "You know I worry like hell about you all the time. Why couldn't you have played in the water or something instead of wandering off to some weird village?"

"Because I'm not five anymore."

I could tell that he was trying his hardest to force back his smile. He patted a spot next to him and I lay in that spot, allowing him to drape his arm around my stomach.

"I know. I'm just not used to the fact that you risked your life a billion times to save me," he mumbled as I pressed my face into his chest. "I still see you as the helpless little girl who cried whenever I killed a spider."

"Yeah. Wait, 'helpless'?" I moved my face away from him, but he gently pressed his palm to the back of my head and held me to him.

"Goodnight!"

(!)(!)(!)

"Wake up! Damn it, Blank! Wake up!"

Zidane's voice made the both of us jump awake in confusion. Everyone had the look of terror and frustration on their face.

"What's going on?" I asked, rushing to my feet. Regent Cid was already trying to move the stopper that Blank had put in the wheel. Above us, a huge airship flew by in a panic. Everyone's heads tilted up to watch it go past.

"We have to follow that airship!" Vivi cried out, his voice giving away the fact that he was close to tears. "They kidnapped Eiko!"

"Oh, hell," Blank hissed, running to the wheel to help Cid. Once the stopper was tossed to the side, the ship pulled from the land and sailed after the ship.

Steiner and I made Vivi our focus. He had holed himself up in the corner to cry. We kneeled on both sides of him, trying to calm him down. Even though I thought it was somewhat cute that Vivi was worrying so much about Eiko, I was scared out of my mind for her.

"He's heading toward some weird-looking structure!" Blank called out to Zidane, trying to be louder than the waves crashing against the ship and everyone else talking.

"Is there something beyond there?" Freya questioned, pushing her way into their conversation. She was already holding onto her spear dangerously.

Zidane stood next to Blank, gripping onto to the side of the ship tightly. His jaw tightened as he glared at the snowy continent we were approaching. "What the hell is Kuja up to?" he thought aloud. "What does he want with Eiko?"

"His motives are unclear," Cid added. "The girl can summon Eidolons too?"

"Yeah. That's it!" Zidane said, stomping his foot. "He's probably after her for the same reason he was after Dagger!"

Beside Freya, Dagger glanced down, a worried expression on her face. A strange silence fell over the ship as everyone looked at her.

"Don't worry, Dagger," Zidane reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're not going to let him get away. Kuja has a lot to answer to."

She met his eyes and for a quick second, I saw something there. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I was certain I'd seen it before.

"Go!" Blank yelled when we docked on a snowy piece of land. Everyone hurried out, leaving Blank and I alone yet again.

For three hours, we paced the ship nervously, debating on whether or not we should go in there and help. Blank decided against it, though. We had no idea how strong Kuja was. All we knew was that he was strong enough to wipe out Cleyra and Alexandria. Besides, I didn't even have a weapon on me.

When they finally returned, battered and bloodied, they came with an unknown woman and Eiko trailing closely behind her. As she came closer, I recognized her as Hilda, Regent Cid's wife. She had left months ago and rumor had spread throughout Lindblum that it was because Cid had cheated on her.

"Hello, Lady Hilda," I greeted as she boarded the ship. I bowed slightly to her, just as Blank had taught me to when we were younger. She often wandered the streets of Lindblum, stopping by our hideout to say hello to each of us and comment on how much we were growing.

She smiled that perfect smile that all royalty seemed to have and waved a casual hand at me. "Please, there is no need to bow."

"Blank," Cid addressed, hopping over to him, "please take us back to Lindblum."

"Yes, sir," Blank happily replied, grabbing the wheel.

As we traveled back, I watched Hilda and Cid. She held his small frog body securely in her arms and he stared up at her. Realization hit me. My eyes moved to Dagger and Zidane, who were standing next to each other.

Dagger stared down into the water, lost in her own thoughts, but Zidane had his gaze locked on her. I compared how Cid and Zidane were watching Hilda and Dagger. They were the same.

"Aw," I whispered, a hopeful smile growing on my face.

"What?" Blank asked, turning his head slightly to look at me.

"Nothing," I told him. He gave me a disbelieving look, but shrugged it off anyway. He leaned closer to me and I pressed my palm to his cheek, kissing him softly.

(!)(!)(!)

When we arrived at Lindblum, Blank and I headed to the hideout while the rest of the party went to the castle. All the Tantalus members were sitting around lazily, as if they didn't know what else to do.

"Look who made it back!" Baku yelled out as we walked through the door. Blank's hand tightened around mine.

"Yeah, yeah," Blank mumbled. "Let's go eat. I'm freakin' hungry."

"With what money, bro?" Marcus questioned.

Blank released my hand and casually walked over to a pile of random junk in the corner. After a few seconds of rummaging around, he pulled a brown sack from it. I noticed it was the one my mother had given him.

"This money," he said proudly. "Unbeknownst to you guys, I've been saving up for two years for something, but I suppose I can spend a little bit of it."

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Baku howled, standing up from the table. "Let's go!"

(!)(!)(!)

We found ourselves at one of the two pubs in the kingdom that hadn't been destroyed. I ate lightly while Baku, Benero, and Cinna drank. Blank, Marcus, and Zenero laughed at their drunken talk and tried to carry on conversations.

"Hey, Blank," I mumbled suddenly. Blank turned his attention to me, leaning back and placing his arm on the rest behind my head.

"Yes, m'lady?" he replied, adding a hint of royalty to his voice. I smiled at him. It was nice to see everyone having a good time even when things were getting really bad out in the rest of the world.

"You said you've been saving up for something for two years. What is it?"

He grinned and leaned over, kissing my head. "I love you," he said, intentionally trying to lure me away from the question.

I decided to drop it for now. Whatever it was, I was sure I'd eventually find out.

"I love you too."

(!)(!)(!)

The meal was interrupted by Steiner, who had barged in with a panicked look on his face. He informed us of Dagger's disappearance and we all instantly stood up, beginning the search for her.

We split up into groups of two: Blank and me, Benero and Zenero, Marcus and Steiner, and Baku and Cinna. After searching for about an hour and reporting that she was nowhere in Lindblum, Steiner said he'd go back and tell Zidane.

We waited around the hideout for more word, and when it finally came, we all headed to an airship Cid had prepared for us. Zidane was the only one going from his group, so we weren't all crammed into the ship.

"All right," Zidane said when we arrived at Alexandria. "Cinna, Benero, and Zenero search the streets. Blank, Marcus, and Sori, go check around Ruby's area. Baku, you should come with me to the castle."

"Yes, sir!" Cinna mumbled, still somewhat drunk. The entire ride over, he'd been shoveling bread down his throat to soak up the alcohol in his stomach.

By the time we reached Ruby's theatre, she was pacing around the steps that led up to the streets, chewing on her fingernails nervously. The place was empty and somewhat messy, like she'd just had a performance a few minutes before we arrived.

"Hey, Ruby!" Blank greeted. Her head snapped up to look at us and a relieved smile grew on her face. She hurried to us and caught me in a tight hug.

"Hey there, guys!" she replied. "How y'all doin'?"

"We're doing all right. How's business going for you?"

"Well," she said desperately, "the money ain't no good, but I'm havin' fun. I like it." She began to play with my hair, pulling it into braids like she did when we were younger. I was always her dress-up doll because none of the boys wanted to wear dresses or have their hair done by her.

"That's great," Blank told her. "Our hideout in Lindblum got completely destroyed. Its going to take a miracle to fix the place."

"Bro," Marcus mumbled, "we better…"

"Oh, right! We came here for a reason. Have you seen Dagger?"

"Dagger?" Ruby repeated. "Nah. I ain't seen her. Why? You fixin' to kidnap her again?"

Marcus glared at her, obviously offended. "No," he said sternly. "We're just looking for her this time."

She waved a hand at him. "I was only kiddin' with you. I'll ask the patrons to be on the lookout."

"Thanks, Ruby!" Blank said, grabbing my hand. I whined as he pulled me away from her braiding hands.

We continued to search for Dagger until we ran into Baku, who told us Zidane had found her and they had already left to go back to Lindblum to get the others.

"Listen," Baku said when we reunited with Cinna, Benero, and Zenero. "Things are gettin' bad. Really bad. Even though Zidane ain't really a part of Tantalus right now, he's goin' to need our help. We're goin' to help him as much as we can, got it? No matter what it is, we're goin' to do it."

We all stared at him for a long time. Some of us were terrified, some were anxious. I was a mix of pretty much everything. I was scared of what was going to happen in the end. I was worried for everyone. But at the same time, I was excited and happy.

Zidane had never let anyone down before, other than Baku when he quit Tantalus. With so many people backing him up, there was no possible way he could lose to Kuja.

Blank's arm wrapped firmly around my shoulders, holding me close to him. As soon as his lips touched my head, every negative emotion I was feeling slipped away.

Yeah, everything was going to be just fine.


	6. Commit

An entire week passed with no word from Zidane and his party. Tantalus fell into it's normal routine of pick pocketing, stealing, and drinking almost every night. However, as much as we tried to ignore all the terrifying monsters that plagued the fields because the Mist had returned, the people running into the kingdom screaming about them were constant reminders.

"All right!" Baku yelled, waking everyone up. Blank groaned and sat up, gently shaking my body. "This is it! Get everyone together! We're goin' to help Zidane!"

"What?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my hands. "What's going on?"

Blank was already out of bed and down the ladder. I, however, wasn't that much of a morning person, especially when I was woken up so rudely.

"Regent Cid got word of Zidane's battle. Seems they're headin' for the Iifa Tree right now to get Kuja and stop all the Mist," Baku explained. "Cid's assignin' us the Hilda Garde 3 to help and he's sending a bunch of his troops along with us. General Beatrix and her Alexandrian soldiers are going to be there, too."

I sighed and swung my legs off the bed. Why did Zidane have to get mixed up in something so important like saving the world?

(!)(!)(!)

Hundreds of airships departed from Lindblum in a hurry. As we flew over the ocean separating our continent from the Outer Continent, I noticed the Mist was just as heavy.

"Its everywhere, isn't it?" I whispered to Blank, who had stood by my side to look out the windows. A protective arm snaked around my waist.

"Yeah."

Baku stood at the front of the ship, trying to see through the Mist. He made somewhat of a yelp and everyone stood next to him. I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming when thousands of gigantic Silver Dragons flew out from a purple orb on the top of the Iifa Tree.

"Fire!" Baku yelled to the gunners above us. Fireballs flew from the cannons on the ship and Regent Cid (who was now a perfectly healthy man) came strolling out from the back. Blank rushed to the controls on the side of the room, but I couldn't move.

I slowly turned my head to the left to see the odd airship that had been there when Alexandria was destroyed. Cid placed a hand on my shoulder. "That's Zidane." He turned to pilot of our ship and ordered, "All ships, clear a path for the Invincible!"

From a window of the Invincible, I was able to see Zidane and Dagger's faces look at us. Baku howled in laughter and gave them the thumbs-up sign. "Can't let you guys steal the show by yourselves!"

Marcus and Blank, who had rushed to us, nodded in response. A strange feeling of relief settled over me when I saw everyone's smiles.

The Invincible gained speed quickly, heading for the orb with Silver Dragons right on its tail. I stopped Baku from yelling to fire. "No!" I told him. "They could miss and hit Zidane's airship!"

Another ship flew up from the Mist in front of the dragons, acting as a barrier. Beside us, Marcus chuckled. "The Red Rose, huh? Leave it to Beatrix to jump in the middle of everything."

I placed my hands on the glass in front of me, watching as the Red Rose moved out of the way. The Invincible slowly penetrated the orb, causing a blinding light to surround us all. Blank grabbed onto my body and switched our positions so he was closer to the glass. I buried my face into him, but I wasn't scared or worried.

"Where'd they go?" Marcus asked after a short time. I tore myself away from Blank to see that the Invincible and the orb had vanished. Even all the Silver Dragons were gone.

The entire planet seemed to be dead silent. I gasped when Blank flinched beside me and grabbed for his head.

"Bla- Agh!"

A horrible sharp pain hit my head, too. It felt as if I'd been struck in the temple with a blunt object. I fell to my knees, holding my head and trying my hardest not to scream in pain and discomfort.

(!)(!)(!)

"_Is he going to be okay?" I asked Mother, peering over the bed at the unconscious body. Blank had fallen off the roof while helping Father patch up a hole. He had broken his wrist while at the same time, knocking himself out._

"_Yes, yes, Sori. Calm down. Blank will wake up in a few hours and he'll probably be right back up on that roof," she reassured me. She smiled to herself and shook her head. "That boy is just like Felicia."_

"_Momma, what was Blank's momma like?"_

_Mother began to play with my hair as I rested my head against the bed. "Felicia was…a wonderful woman. Blank looks so much like her. We always got into trouble together when we were little, like you and Blank do. I truly miss her. I just wish I could have made amends with her before she passed."_

"_What happened to her, Momma?"_

"_She became very sick. Even though she was dying, she still made sure her son was taken care of."_

_She let go of my hair and I sat on the bed, gently stroking Blank's good arm. I watched his chest slowly move up and down with his breathing._

"_Why did she have to die?"_

_Mother exhaled heavily and thought for a moment on how to explain death to a six-year-old. "Sori, sometimes people have to leave so others can grow. If Felicia wouldn't have passed away, Blank would have never learned to live on his own or be so protective of you and he probably never would have met us."_

"_Will you ever leave so I can grow?"_

_Her lips were pressed to my forehead. "Yes, my dear. Someday I will. But you know what?"_

"_What?"_

_Her hand moved to Blank's messy hair. She smoothly ran her fingers through it, rapidly blinking back tears. "This boy here will be right there to take my place."_

(!)(!)(!)

I couldn't tell if I was conscious. I kept going in and out of a dream-like state.

I knew I was lying on the floor, my head tilted to look at Blank. He, too, was stomach-down on the floor. His headband had fallen off so I could see that his eyes were open wide, but I knew he wasn't completely there. A trail of drool was coming from the side of his mouth.

What was going on?

(!)(!)(!)

"_How are we supposed to do this?" _

_Blank and I stood less than an inch away from each other's face. Kissing was a lot harder than Mother and Father made it look._

"_Do I grab your hands?" nine-year-old Blank asked. _

"_Maybe? Try."_

_His hands curled around my small ones, positioning them in a tight hold. "Okay," he whispered, giving me a determined stare. "One, two, three!"_

_We both closed our eyes at the same time and leaned forward, smacking our noses against each other's. We pulled away in a panic and I watched as blood started to trickle down from his right nostril. His hand quickly shot up to catch it._

"_This is stupid!" he complained and I nodded in agreement._

"_I'm never kissing anyone ever again!"_

(!)(!)(!)

"Sori! Come on!"

I was being shaken by a mass of red hair. As my vision became clearer, I saw that it had a face. "Blank?" I whispered. "I gave you a bloody nose the first time we tried to kiss."

An embarrassed grin shot across Blank's face. "You remembered that, too?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I sat up, holding my head. Everything seemed to be spinning out of control.

"I guess everyone had a whole bunch of memories come back. Cinna's was the first time he had South Gate Bundt Cake, Marcus' was of his father and siblings, mine was how scared I was of your father when he found me in your barn and the first time we tried kissing."

"Holy crap!" Cinna yelled, pointing out the window.

Blank pulled me to my feet just in time to see the spot where the orb had once been explode in a bright orange light. A strong wind seemed to have blown past, pushing the Mist away from the tangled roots of the Iifa Tree, which were now whipping about. A petrifying scream came from the giant plant. Was it alive now?

"Please be alive," Regent Cid muttered to himself from behind us.

Blank and I whipped around to look at him. "You don't think they're all dead, right?" I asked him. He opened his mouth to answer, but one of the crew members named Erin spoke first.

"Sire! We're receiving a transmission from the Red Rose!"

"Punch it up on the main line!"

Blank's arm wrapped around me tightly. I placed my head against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. My stomach twisted in anxiety.

"This is the Red Rose," a female's monotone voice came from the brass horns above us.

"You're not General Beatrix," Cid accused. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mikoto. Everyone is alive. You are very close to them."

"What? How do you know?"

"I can hear him."

"Who?" Cid asked. We waited for a moment for Mikoto to reply, but suddenly a clicking noise came from the horns, telling that she had ended the transmission. He growled and turned around to the crew members. "Prepare to land immediately!"

"They're alive!" I cried out, practically tackling Blank. I couldn't help but cry from cheerfulness.

Blank exhaled slowly as he folded his arms around me. He buried his face between my neck and my shoulder. "They're alive."

(!)(!)(!)

"Movin' out!" Baku yelled once everyone had boarded. Well, almost everyone.

I'd never been so heartbroken in my entire life at watching so many people cry. Vivi and Eiko hugged each other and sobbed loudly. Freya stared out the window, trying to hide her face and the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Quina rolled onto it's belly and shook violently. The man with the red hair (whose name I learned to be Amarant) just watched everyone. Even Steiner was shedding tears.

As the airship ascended into the sky, I made my way onto the deck to see Dagger peering over the side, watching Zidane run back to the Iifa Tree to save Kuja.

"Dagger," I mumbled.

She turned to face me and my heart completely shattered. Her cheeks were stained red from crying so hard, but she was trying her hardest to smile for me. She opened her mouth to say something to me, but a sob caught in her throat. I allowed my own tears to fall as I caught her in a hug.

"He'll come back," she whispered. "I know he will."

I chuckled sadly. "Sometimes people have to leave so you can grow."

(!)(!)(!)

"Are you ready?" Blank asked me for the hundredth time, fixing my hair speedily. I gently pushed his hands away and smiled.

"Will you please stop?" I asked. "You're making me nervous. This is my first performance, after all."

The newly restored Prima Vista roared to a halt and Ruby hugged me tightly. "Don't worry, darlin'! I taught you everything you need to know! You're goin' to make a great Cornelia!"

"I feel like I'm going to puke," I told them honestly. Blank laughed and kissed me quickly.

"You'll be fine."

I looked to Marcus, who was going over his lines once more. "Marcus, everyone is coming, right?" I questioned.

"Of course," he answered, setting the book down into his lap. "Everyone said they wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Is _he_ ready?"

"_He's_ ready."

"All right, you scumbags!" Baku declared, bursting into the crowded room. He looked at the hooded figure in the corner and smirked, yanking the hood down even more. "We're already there! Its been about a year and a half since we last saw Alexandria! Give 'em a show they won't forget! And Sori…"

I swallowed hard and looked him in the eye. "Huh?"

"If you screw up your lines even once, you're out of Tantalus!" The grin reassured me that he was only joking.

"Right," I replied, putting on my own happy persona.

Before Baku left, he moved to Blank and they whispered something to each other. Blank nodded and smiled to him, leaving me to wonder what was going on.

"I'm on!" Baku said, rushing out of the room. "Get ready!"

We followed Baku to the wings of the stage, watching him bow in respect as everyone clapped for him. My heart was beating so loud, I was afraid the people in the audience would hear it.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted. "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus." From behind me, the hooded figure patted my back. "She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. Tonight's story begins when Marcus and Cornelia decide to run away together. And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Garnet, Lord Steiner, Lady Beatrix, noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents _I Want to be Your Canary_!"

Baku walked offstage and I hurried to climb the ladder that led to the built-in balcony. I took a deep breath before running on and glancing around hopelessly.

"Marcus?" I called out before running down the steps to meet the hooded figure.

My eyes fell on the audience as I ran. My heart almost stopped beating as I saw just how many people there were. Among them was everyone from before, including all of Vivi's sons. Regent Cid sat next to Lady Hilda with Eiko in his lap next to everyone else. On a nearby balcony, Dagger watched me intently. Her hair was so long now.

I tried my absolute hardest not to smile as I fell into his arms. "Sweet Marcus, I fear I love thee more than I should!" Practicing this scene with Blank was a lot easier.

"Princess, wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?"

I pulled away, shaking my head at him. "Prithee, call me 'princess' no more! Marcus, will thou truly cherish me, the king's only daughter? Or is such a desire too dear to wish for?" I forced a choking sob into my voice. "After our nuptials, shall I become no more than a puppet? A mindless puppet, never to laugh, never to cry? I wish to live my life under the sky. At times I shall laugh, at other times cry. For no life is more insincere than that lived as a masquerade."

"So much consideration thou hast given it! But worry not! Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep me forever in the cage of thy bosom! Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow, before dawn can tell of our elopement!"

He wiped at my stage tears (I'd never tell anyone just how real those tears actually were) as I replied, "All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay, and I shall follow thee throughout the world!"

"No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!" He touched my face softly before exiting the stage.

I turned to the audience, pretending they weren't there and I was talking only to myself. "O, love is the sweetest joy and the wildest woe. All I wish is to be by my sweet Marcus' side."

The stage lights grew dim on me and brightened in the corner near the stairs, where Blank was hiding out. I stood completely still so everyone would put their attention to him.

His voice rang out, "Fie! It shall be war again unless this marriage is stopped! Ne'er will I let their plan come to fruition." The lights followed him as he strolled over to me with an innocent expression on his face. He bowed slightly in my direction. "Good day to ye, Highness."

"Good day," I replied suspiciously.

"Wist thee of Marcus?"

I gasped and smiled widely. "Marcus? What news doth thou bring?"

He grinned and moved closer. "This!" he yelled, faking a punch to my stomach. I inhaled sharply and doubled over onto his fist, allowing him to hoist me up over his shoulder and rush me offstage.

"How am I doing?" I whispered once we were out of view. Blank's smile made my stomach flip intensely.

"You're doing great," he replied, holding both sides of my face to kiss me. "I have something for you after 'it' happens."

Before I could ask what it was, Cinna joined us, a wide smile on his face. "Its time!"

The hooded figure stood alone onstage. "Could she have betrayed me?" he wondered aloud. "Nay, ne'er would my love speak false. I must have faith! She shall appear only if I believe! As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons!" He held his arms up to the painted scenery behind him. "I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish!"

"Here it comes," the three of us whispered at the same time.

Zidane pulled the cloak from his body, tossing it to the side and facing the balcony where Dagger sat with Steiner and Beatrix. "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" he cried out.

Dagger stood up from her seat, her eyes wide. Without hesitation, she rushed to the back and made her way outside. Cinna, Blank, Baku, and I came out onstage and stood in the back, watching the crowd separate as she made her way through.

At one point, she stopped and turned back around to watch her necklace hit the ground. She held her throat for a moment before turning around to face Zidane, who had moved to the concrete ground in front of the stage.

She jumped into his arms and began pounding on his chest and crying. Zidane laughed as she looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks, until their lips came together.

A roar of cheers erupted from the audience and Blank stepped forward. My smile faded as Dagger and Zidane hurried onstage. Zidane lifted his arms to silence everyone. Dagger and I exchanged confused glances.

"Sori," Blank said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "can you please come here?"

"What are you doing?" I breathed as I inched closer to him.

He took my hands as we faced each other. "Sori, I love you," he told me.

"I love you too." I couldn't breathe.

"Marry me."

My mouth fell open. "What?"

Blank and Zidane looked at each other and Zidane pulled a small box from his pocket, tossing it to the man in front of me who had gotten down to one knee.

"Will you marry me?"

A loud "aw!" echoed in the crowd and I smiled, unable to contain my tears. Stupid me, I started crying from happiness. _That's_ what he'd been saving up for during all these years.

"Yes!" I replied, allowing him to put the ring on my finger. I then jumped at him, pressing my lips to his at the same time Dagger and Zidane did.

From the audience, Eiko had made her way to Regent Cid's shoulders. He held her steady as she made a cup around her mouth with her hands.

"GET SOME!"


	7. Epilogue: Grandpa Baku

How did he get stuck babysitting the little monster? Baku had asked himself that question many times, but repeatedly came up with no answer. What was he even supposed to do with her, now that she was here?

Baku could've beat both Blank and Sori for setting him up with this babysitting job. He wasn't a babysitter. He was the leader of an infamous gang of thieves and actors. The last time he checked, that was the very opposite of watching a three-year-old.

"What're you lookin' at?" Baku grumbled at the poor girl.

He still couldn't get past the resemblance to Iela's father. That mass of ruby hair and gigantic azure eyes had Blank's name written all over it. In a way, she also looked like Sori. The sharp nose, the way her eyes were always narrowed in a constant glare, and the high cheekbones. Yeah. Definitely Sori.

Iela didn't reply to Baku. She only stared at him with an emotionless expression on her face. Slowly, she tilted her head to look at the huge bell behind his figure.

The boss-man sighed and ran a hand over his face. How did he get stuck doing this again? Oh, that's right. Everyone else had been too busy when Blank and Sori asked. Since Iela was born, the couple hadn't gotten any time to themselves. So, Tantalus had been the first group of people they went to.

Cinna was at South Gate, studying the structure of the South Bundt Cakes. Ruby was still wrapped up in Alexandria with her theatre gig. Benero, Zenero, and their long-lost family were out on a "catching-up" trip. Marcus was out scouting for new nobles in Treno to steal from.

Zidane, or King Zidane, was…well, he was busy tending to a _very_ pregnant Queen Garnet.

"Can I have some?" Iela finally asked, lifting a small finger toward the cup of alcohol on the table Baku had been leaning on.

After a moment of consideration, he shook his head. "Your mom would slit my throat if she ever found out I gave that to you."

She sat still for only a moment before pushing herself to her feet. "I'm bored," she bluntly told him. "Daddy said I would have fun with you. You're boring."

A disgruntled frown formed on his face as he stared at the little hell-child. "How 'bout some stories?" he asked through gritted teeth. The girl strode closer to him, lifting her arms toward the man. "What're you doin'?"

"Mommy always lets me sit in her lap when she tells me stories. Lift me."

_She's just a little kid,_ Baku thought. _Don't strangle her._

However, being bossed around by such a small child was almost too much to bare. He lifted the tiny body and set it carefully on his right leg. "What sorts of stories does your mom tell you?"

"Well," Iela mumbled, tilting her head to the side in a very Blank-like manner, "she talks about flying in airships with Daddy, and how Uncle Zidane and Aunt Dagger saved the world with Uncle Vivi - bless his soul - Mommy taught me to say that after his name every time. Isn't that nice? - and Aunt Eiko, and Am-ama-amarantana, and Miss Freya, and Quina, and Uncle Rusty."

Baku mentally groaned to himself, listening to Iela ramble on.

"This one time, Uncle Zidane and Aunt Dagger came to visit us in Dali and Mommy was touching Aunt Dagger's tummy because it was getting a little big. I asked Daddy why it was getting so big and he said because she was eating a lot and all that food she was eating would turn into a baby like I was. But I'm not a baby no more. I can spell my name. Want to hear? I-E-L-A. See? I spelled it."

"Does your mom ever talk about me?" Baku hurriedly asked her before she started on with another random topic to talk about.

"Yeah. She says you're a poophead."

"A WHAT?" Baku exploded, nearly throwing the child off his lap. Iela only giggled, though.

"Well, the real word she says is one I'm not allowed to say. One time I said it and Daddy got mad at me and told me not to say it anymore. But I can spell it for you. I'm a real good speller. Okay, ready? S-H-I-T-H-E-A-D."

This was going to be a long night.

(!)(!)(!)

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave Iela with Baku?" Sori asked her husband, who didn't seem as concerned about their daughter as she was. The whole night, she had been fumbling with the same napkin.

"Don't worry about it," Blank reassured her. "Baku practically raised Cinna from the time he was born. He knows how to deal with kids her age." He smiled warmly at her. "This is the first time we've gone out to dinner in three years, Sori. Iela is just fine. If anything, Baku is the one pulling his hair out."

She watched him for a moment, thinking back on the day Iela was born. Out of everyone, Baku seemed to have been the most excited, as shocking as that sounds.

On a bright June 10th day, Sori had gone into labor during a visit to Lindblum. Regent Cid was generous enough to allow her the leisure of using a bed in the hospital wing of the castle. Seeing as sickness was roaming rampantly on Gaia at the time, it certainly was a blessing.

Tantalus had been called immediately. Baku barged into the room outside of the birthing room and demanded to see the child, who was still being delivered. For six more hours, he paced the floor with Blank.

As soon as Iela's first cry was heard, _everyone_ crowded into the room to see her. Sori sat, sweaty and exhausted, with the baby girl in her arms. Eiko gawked at her, eyes and mouth open wide.

"Well, damn," Baku had said, looking at Blank, "she already cries louder than you did when Felecia was pushing your fat head out."

Blank had taken his daughter into his arms, staring at her in amazement. Slowly, his eyes trailed over to his glowing wife, and yes, she was definitely glowing with a radiance that he was sure only he saw. It astounded him how two simple people could create something so perfect in just nine months.

"She's kind of cute," Baku had butted in. "You should keep her."

Leaning back in the chair, Sori sighed heavily, trying not to think of how miserable her daughter most likely was in Baku's care. "Yeah, you're probably right."

(!)(!)(!)

"What do you want me to spell next?"

Iela sat on the floor, a pencil held securely in her left hand. Between her legs, she held a piece of paper very still with her right hand. Baku remained at the table, wondering who he could push the girl off onto for a few hours.

"Uh, hell, I don't know," he mumbled, wiping the beer foam from his moustache. "Spell your dad's name."

"B-L-A-N-K," she whispered to herself, writing the letters down in sloppy handwriting. A silent yawn escaped her tiny mouth and for a moment, Baku was filled with relief. "What else?"

"Write a story."

"About what?"

"How great I am."

"Okay."

Her head bowed over the paper, her face becoming shielded with her hair. Baku leaned on the table, using her palm to prop up his cheek. He was already ready to pass out, but the kid was just a ball of energy.

"Grandpa Baku?" Iela muttered. His eyes fluttered open quickly. How long had he fallen asleep for?

"Wha…? Huh? What did you call me, kid?" he growled, glaring at the paper in front of his face. There was a rather large hole in the middle.

"I called you 'Grandpa Baku.' That's what Mommy and Daddy tell me to call you. I ripped my paper. Can I have another, please?"

Knowing the nickname was a joke of Blank and Sori's, he took the paper from her dainty hands and stood from his comfortable chair. Finding a piece of paper in the hideout was like finding a Moogle in a pile of red balloons. Nearly impossible.

"I found one!" Iela cried out, pulling a blank sheet of paper from a pile of junk under the table. She hurried back to her original spot and curled over it again, restarting her story.

When were Blank and Sori coming back?

(!)(!)(!)

"Hey, kid, you hungry?" Baku questioned after about an hour. Iela hadn't moved from her spot the entire time. In fact, she hadn't said a word to him either.

Cautiously, he moved closer and pushed on her side. She rolled over onto the floor, sprawling her limbs out. Her mouth hung open slightly and her eyes were shut peacefully.

A surge of panic filled Baku as he stared at the body. Was she dead? If so, what would he say to Blank and Sori?

"Hey, kid?" he whispered, gently slapping her cheeks with his palm. "Iela? You dead?"

A soft snore was heard over the intense heartbeat in his ears. He exhaled in relief and picked her up from the floor, eyeing the scribble-covered paper she had been hunched over the entire time. Carefully, he bent down to pick it up.

With Iela still held to his body by his right arm, he moved back to the table and sat down, examining the paper with a small smile on his face.

Iela had drawn a picture of Baku (a large circle with a smaller circle for the head) holding her (a stick figure) hand with his stick arms. Both of the crude people had large grins on their faces.

At the top, she wrote, "My best friend, Grandpa Baku. Grandpa Baku is very nice and is very fun. He makes me laugh. I have a lot of fun with Grandpa Baku. I love Grandpa Baku."

His gaze shifted to Iela's body. A drool trail was flowing down her cheek and onto his arm. Quietly, he chuckled to himself and moved to one of the beds, gently placing her in the center.

"You're the only one who can call me that, got it? Zidane and Dagger's kid has got to work for it."

* * *

><p>Here we are, at the end! I'd like to thank everyone who read this story, especially Red Reality for reading it since day one and giving helpful advice for it! So, thank you very much!<p>

I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ^^ To be honest, I cried a bit writing the sixth chapter and a little while writing this epilogue. Eh, I'm a girl, I get emotional. It happens.

Once again, thank you for reading!

~Rezzalia


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